tomgoodman

And that's the way most of us wanted it. New-hires were told that the ideal way to finish your career was to hear the Chief Pilot say: "Congratulations on your retirement, Captain ... uh ... er ... what was that name again?"

hindsight2020

As somebody with two aero engineering degrees who forewent industry, I wouldn't recommend you get this degree. Go with mechanical engineering and concentrate on a couple niche courses if you find the engineering thing to your liking. Many departments already do this by consolidating aerospace engineering departments into the mechanical engineering departments. Honestly, the major should go away entirely if you ask me. Too narrow focused and unmarketable. The problem is that most people who pursue AE don't want to end up doing non-AE work. That would be the only incentive for even going through a AE curriculum to begin with. The money just isn't there and quite frankly the job-hopping nature of such work among the bigger players resembles the ratcheted nature of an airline career spans of employment.

My dissapointment with aero engineering really came in the form of the realization of the amount of drudge work that's involved with the profession day to day. It was also very narrow focused for my interests. I came to realize I was more of an aviation enthusiast than an engineering enthusiast, so the nuts and bolts of a day to day low-level project/data babysitting that entails your 9-5 at Lockmart just didn't appeal to me as something I could do for longer than a month and not want to put a bullet through my head. I just couldn't stand the staring at a computer all day, particularly for a job that came home with me and that turned out to be JUST AS fickle as an airline job. That really sealed it for me.

As it turns out the airline thing is total non-starter for me as well, so I would go thumbs down on both careers for economic reasons. I would favor the engineering track if you are kosher with having to get furloughed every 2/3 of a decade and don't mind bringing work home with you. The compensation scales on the flying world are just completely off the reservation, it's insulting. Timely reach to High seniority is more of a Xmas wish list than a career expectation in this century and beyond, so the money just isn't there when compared to other TAFB-intensive vocations. Have you considered dental school? Good luck.

pilotartist

If you like flying, keep the pilot job, build your hours and keep your resume/application current. Pick a few of the best majors, especially at ones with crew bases where you want to live. Nobody is hiring now, but when it resumes, do what it takes to get an interview. The airline industry is now at a low point, but it will come up. There will be a shortage of qualified pilots (I know we've all heard that before, but the pipeline is drying up) in a few years when the age 65 retirees happen and the economy recovers. The past few years have been a "perfect storm" disaster for pilots. It's all about leverage, and we've had none. Even so, being a Captain at a major is a great job. Sure you have to please the customer, as well as crew scheduling, but you see the world, have plenty of time off and you don't bring the job home. You can be creative with visual approaches, crew management issues and layover choices. Then you have multiple days off to do the other things you love. You will have a long, tough road to get there, with no guarantees. If you love flying, it will be worth it.

ryan1234

^...this is the truth...^

It should really be mech degree with an aero minor or something like that....

stealth114

I do have a Masters in Aerospace Engineering.. it was my ultimate dream and I have no regrets. So I have been unable to get a job in the companies like NASA or any subsidiary but with the knnowledge I have gained and skills, I wont ever think of piloting if I didint have this qualification IMO. Things happen for a good and Im glad I got my degree first rather than having started flying at a very young age since a qualification on paper goes a long way.

hindsight2020

I have a masters in it too and I reject that notion. I know for a fact you don't need a masters in this thing to become a pilot, nor does it give you any advantage over others when the opportunity cost of obtaining said degree is considered. At my shop (govt) I got bros with communication degrees making six figs as instructor pilots while I make due "more with less" on a part-time paycheck. World's most overeducated stick monkey they mock me, "dude you're too smart for this gig". I'd sell my degrees in a NY minute if the tactic of acting "dumb" to others got me a six fig pilot job. Turns out, timing carries more weight than degrees in this thing we call life. If I could have majored in Timing I would have done so yesterday....thence why hindsight is 2020

Not to pour salt on the wound, but your inability to obtain employment at the usual suspects reinforces the point. Aero engineering is just a bad unmarketable form of a "fallback" degree and here's something else. I'm almost four years removed from grad school and if, say, I got the sadomasochistic idea of using my degree as a fallback, I would be faced with the very sobering reality that in order for me to even partake in said employment I would have to accept entry-level salaries for which life has already largely priced me out of, if I want to move on from perma-collegiate monk life that is. Furthermore, I wouldn't be of much use to the data daycare center outfits with no direct work experience. A kid fresh off undergrad could perform the same duties and be more willing and able to work for said wage. So the fallback value of engineering degrees are essentially "not adjusted for inflation". I can see less painful ways of getting an emergency 40K job than working for these outfits.

I always make facetious light of this example, but I'm being serious when I say I can go push my military affiliation and said education and get the manager job at taco bell and make 42K right across my house, no commute, no taking the job home with me, and not bad considering I'd have the same interest in the daily intricacies of that job than in your aforementioned aero shop. Which is why I think the "fallback value of an engineering degree" argument is hollow. You can't really use these jobs as emergency jobs, these can't be turned on or off like taco bell jobs, or pilot jobs for that matter. Good luck in your hunt though.

stealth114

Wel im glad you see things in that light... And no, I have no wounds and dont need any good luck because as I said, doing my aerospace degree was a dream I had and I completed it...

Cubdriver

Stealth what was your thesis on, if you did one? And how about you, Hindsight? I hear that flight controls or stab and kill (stability and control) are the desired subjects if you want to be hired for a test pilot job. Personally I always did my best in aerodynamics. Maybe it was the teacher I had for flight dynamics- a real Nazi if you know what I mean.