QXrjdriver

[QUOTE=320Driver]I never said that UND had anything to do with getting on at CAL, but it did help me get that first job at Horizon. The experience at QX and a healthy dose of good luck is what helped get me the job at CAL. UND offers plenty of majors besides aviation if anyone is wanted to do so, but regardless of the major you choose, it's still a real 4 year University that will not deprive anyone of the typical college experience that may happen by going to a strictly aviaition school. Purdue is also an excellent school that I would recommend.

SkyHigh

[QUOTE=QXrjdriver]

I think we all should stop for a moment and acknowledge that we are in the presence of greatness.

QXRJDriver is the very rare example of a dream that came true.

I use to work for Horizon part time in the training department during the time he was hired. Guys from UND were getting on with less than 700 hours, which back then was unheard of. One guy had just over the FAA minimum of 195 hours to get his commercial licence. QXDriver went to Horizon with perhaps less than 700 hours, went strait into the jet (which also was a miracle), upgraded and soon after went on to a major.

He is a living example of every ones dream come true. He is the American Idol star that I feel we should take pause to notice. His story and many other legends like it are what has launched more than a few thousand ill fated careers. I am sure that even now the halls of UND hears his name spoken several times daily. Why I would bet that he is less than 28 years old. Perhaps your image will be put on the cover of the brochure to UND's flight program.

I raise a glass to you. And, would like to offer my heartfelt Congratulations !!!!! I can only guess at what it must feel like to be able to enjoy such success in aviation. Well done !!

SkyHigh

av8r4aa

i don't know about you guys but my choice is ESPN.
I also really enjoy the shows on ABC and CBS.

FlyerJosh

UND has (or has had) hiring agreements/preferred hiring/on campus interviews with the following companies (among others):

Great Lakes
Piedmont
Pinnacle
Horizon
Atlantic Coast Airlines
PSA
Mesaba
Skywest
Big Sky
AirNet

Inadditon they have internship opportunites with many airlines and a handful of corporate or weather modification operators.

FlyerJosh

Bitter much?

Yes, it's not the norm, but do you really have to post something so sarcastic? I can think of plenty of other pilots that have attended aviation schools and succeeded in the industry.

Attitude dictates altitude in many ways. I haven't allowed myself to be drug down by the industry, and as a result have advanced further than many who couldn't "weather the storm" or even the very first breezes of uncertainty or unhappiness.

Is every job out there a dream job? No. But there are plenty of them and certainly having a good attitude and being personable can help land that job.

I can think of several classmates that graduated the same time (as well as others that attended other universities) that have done quite well.

Here are a few examplesof people I know:

Graduated UND 1999 - FedEx FO
Graduated UND 1998 - Air Tran FO
Graduated ERAU 1997 - Air Tran CA
Graduated UND 2000 - NetJets CA
Graduated UND 2000 - PT 91 Gulfstream V FO
Graduated UND 1995 - PT 135 BBJ CA
Graduated ERAU 1999 - PT 135 Lear60 CA
Graduated UND 2001 - PT 135 727 CA
Graduated UND 2001 - PT 91 Challenger 300 CA

Uncle Bose

Not FIT and DEFINITELY not ERAU. Barring a few anomalies, the practical and theoretical advantages of an aviation degree are imaginary, and what many have said here about having a backup, as well as simply becoming a more well-rounded individual, is 100% accurate. If I could use my Jedi mind control powers to influence your decision making I'd have you go to an inexpensive, but highly-ranked, state school like UF (which, incidentally, is where I'm going to grad school right now), and get your flight training at a local FBO. You might even be my student. The social atmosphere at places like FSU and UF is something you won't find at any of those three schools you mentioned, and you may be regretful of missing that opportunity in the future.

As you enter the workforce after earning that aviation degree, you may find that you feel a certain inadequacy in your knowledge of anything outside the realm of aviation. Economics, business, and the sciences (the "science" classes in an aviation program are barely higher than high school-level) are not part of their programs. Instead, they pad the curriculum with simple subjects, bloated and stretched to meet three-semester hour and accreditation requirements. This is why some here have suggested that employers may even PREFER you to have a non-aviation degree: it shows you're not a one-dimensional av-monkey, and you have varied interests and education.

No one gave me this sort of advice when I decided on an aviation degree, but I wonder if I would have even listened. I have just as much of that "That's not gonna be ME!" mentality as the next man, and I'll bet you do too. Best of luck in whatever you decide, but choose wisely.

FlyerJosh

For what it's worth, I would agree that doing the non-aviation degree and FBO thing is probably better in the long run from a cost point of view. I do think that an aviation degree can open doors that might not otherwise be available, but it's not a certainty. Uncle Bose is right in saying that there are just as many people out there that didn't attend an aviation university and work in this industry. (However I am curious to know out of that number how many had prior military experience as opposed to the mom and pop FBO background.)

What an aviation degree is going to get you over the long term is a bit more knowledge in advanced topics such as safety studies, aircraft systems and aeordynamics. As well as a typically more structured training environment from most FBOs (even local 141 schools). This can be an advantage when going through your first airline training event.

Over the short term the only thing that an aviation degree will get you is a higher probability of landing your first job with less experience/flight time than somebody from a local FBO. In a seniority based system, that MAY make a big difference.

On the other hand, you could end up like me... a career FO with the airlines and 4000 SIC Turbine and only 600 PIC when I finally left the airlines.

Uncle Bose

I took the liberty of highlighting the key to your post, which indicates a similar list could be compiled using a random selection of two schools without an aviation program. This is, of course, true. The bottom line is there's no reason to assume an aviation degree has any inherent advantages. Having said that, the expense and one-dimensional education they entail demand serious consideration of another route.

LAfrequentflyer

Boss,

Not entirely true. A 4- year aviation degree will get you more pay at the police department when the flying doesn't work out....

Every aviation degree grad I've met was convinced his education was more in-depth and demanding than my 4 year engineering degree from U Minnesota. It wasn't even worth agruing with them...Like running into a wall...

-LAFF

'no regrets about my debt-free lifestyle'

Uncle Bose

Silly me, I forgot! Another advantage to an aviation degree comes when applying to grad school. Just don't let on to the admissions board how little effort that GPA took to achieve.
I guess there are SOME advantages...

'blue skies and red balances'