flyman128

I am a high school senior, and a private pilot with an instrument rating.
I will have my commercial by April, as I only need 10 more hours untill I have 250 total time. I am planning on getting my CFI this summer.
Would I be able to go and instruct for a university out of high school and get my degree at the same time while getting tuition assistance? Would getting an A&P be a good option as well?

rickair7777

If you attend a university with an aviation program, odds are good that you will be able to work as an instructor. But since you will not be doing most of your flight training at that university, you might want to ask the question...since flying jobs are hard to come by right now it's possible they might reserve their CFI jobs for those who complete their training program. I would imagine that if you do your CFII/MEI at a university, that would make you eligible to work there.

I don't think tuition assistance will be an issue while working as a CFI...it doesn't pay any more than busing tables or other typical college jobs.

If for some reason you can't work in the school's program, you should be able to find a job or freelance outside the university system.

Also, you are ahead of the game with most your ratings completed at the end of high school...do not feel the need to attend an aviation university. I would suggest going to whichever school will provide the best educational return for the money you plan to spend. Do not major in aviation, get a degree with relevance outside of aviation in case flying doesn't work out, or you get furloughed.

The A&P might be useful if you want to do non-traditional flying...bush flying, missionary work, etc. Those operations like to hire pilots who can also fix the airplanes. An A&P will not be much benefit for an airline or corporate pilot...you will understand systems thoroughly, but there are easier ways to do that than spending the time and money on an A&P. If you accomplish all your other educational goals and have time and money left over...sure, why not.

captscott26

First, congrats on all your progress thus far, you are indeed well ahead of the pack!

I second the advise about the aviation university......DONT DO IT!!! Find something else that interests you. Engineering, finance, education, and health care are just a few of the fields that offer a nice backup plan to your flying career. The way this industry goes it is almost a certainty you will be furloughed at some point in your career.....prepare for it now and if you avoid it then great.

Apply to every flight school that will take your resume, and dont be picky about which job you accept. In this market just be glad if you find a job.

Good luck!

Roll Inverted and Pull

I`ll second what captscott26 tells you, plus this:If you want a pilot job, forget about the A&P. In my experience, when this fact is known, you`ll be flyman128 the mechanic, not flyman128 the pilot. Granted, some bush jobs and other small outfits might welcome it,but put your effort into flying. I`m sure I`ll get some blowback about my post, but that`s the way I see it. Good luck in you upcoming aviation career, you`ll need it.

Riddler

Pursue a flying career if you couldn't imagine yourself doing anything else. Expect to work your way through a few crappy paying jobs, shady charters and night cargo flying, regionals, and a few furloughs and pay cuts along the way. Having said that, you need something to fall back upon for when (not if) hard times hit - engineering, management, finance, healthcare, etc.

Have you considered the military?

flyman128

I would definatley get a degree in engineering, and the reason for getting an A&P would be because I love the mechanical aspects, and would love to do some alaska flying and build a plane some day. I have been hesitant to go into the military because of the training i have completed thus far as a civilian and dont like the 10year comitment, but the benefits are good. I was hoping that maybe I could instruct at a university like embry riddle or daniel webster and get free or partially paid tuition, that way I am gaining flight time, getting a degree, while not coming out with 100k in debt.

nyalex

Do some more research on the type of lifestyle you get as an instructor at the universities. I don't know first hand, but a friend of mine that went to riddle said they worked the poor guys to death. They offered the tuition assistance but you never had enough time to take advantage of it. In addition, I believe riddle is on a hiring freeze (although most are). One other thing, as everyone else said, make sure you have a plan b. This goes for during college as well as after. Don't go to a college because the local flight school says you can instruct and they will pay for your MEI and blah blah blah. People are very eager to promise the world when you meet for the first time. Delivering on those promises is very different. In other words, don't choose your school based on who said they will give you a job as an instructor, because that can change quickly and leave you up the creek without a paddle. Good luck.

- Senior at an aviation university, lucky enough to be an instructor there as well

Slice

Do yourself a favor...go to a good school where you can learn and socialize! Don't go to an aviation university... If I could do it over again: UT-Austin, ASU, USC, U of F, for starters. Study, fly, party. You can get a 3.0 without trying too hard.

Pilotpip

Yep, non-aviation degree. State school. Take the money you save because of the lower tuition and finance the ratings.

ZnCrO4

I agree with most of what is above. One of the most important things you will learn in college is not taught in any class, lecture or lab; it is the interaction with people from all over the world, and a variety of backgrounds. In a parallel to aviation one of my mentors as a young aviator once told me this about being a pilot: "You are the sum of every aircraft you fly and the product of every pilot you fly with."

I encourage you to visit as many colleges as you can and speak with as many students of those colleges as you can. Find one that you like. As for the aviation portion I would try to instruct but I would not suggest getting an aviation degree. As I have said before think of a degree outside of aviation as an insurance policy. There are colleges out there that will allow you instruct and pay you well for instructing (before others react 29 bucks an hour as a college junior is what I call “well”), and now even pay for tuition to a certain extent. But as many stated above don't make that a priority. I myself was able to carry a fairly heavy class load (18-22 credit hours), a fairly heavy student load (5-7 full time students), and still had time to make it out to relax and a have a beer or four once in a while. I’m not saying that I wasn’t stressed at times and that it was easy but it did pay off for me. I got a good job the week after I graduated and have been at that job ever since.

If you have any other questions feel free to pm me Flyman.

Best of luck and take care,

Zinc