Yes, it is useful to use that masters degree and get out of this industry!!!

I'm not sure what drives your future but FWIW....................

I have a few close friends who have MBA's. Every one of them is wealthy!
Some have turned down salaries that would make VERY senior Fedex Captains drool.
I have many friends who, like myself, are Major airline pilots. None of us are wealthy!

I am working on my MBA at present and have already had job offers prior to graduation. There are many opportunities for MBA's out there. And I mean serious opportunities!

My glass is half full with respect to moving to another major sometime in the future. However, it could be years and the options are few. Unfortunately, as small as this industry is, they always will be.

An MBA may be useful with your goal of getting to one of the few worthwhile majors. It will be a very powerful tool should you decide on a better career.

AL

ummm, what? Wow, I guess I better go get one before they demote me. FYI..my dad was a SGT (twice) in the Army and never was a POW.

absolutely! Two of the most important things in this world. Education and Health (oh yeah, family)

There's more to life than just the MBA. You can get a Master's in alot of interesting fields. I'm going for my MSW (Social Work).

When I was active duty (80-88), not having a masters degree was a sure way to not get promoted. When I went to Squadron Officers School in residence (86), it was even brought up during some of our seminars that not having a masters degree was the proverbial "kiss of death" if you wanted to get passed over. I saw it myself plenty of times. That was one of my biggest gripes with the military.....it didn't matter what your job was, if you didn't have the upper level education squares filled, you didn't get promoted, period. I guess if your dad was a SGT, he didn't have to worry about being passed over for major, did he? I guess to make it simple, if you're a flight attendant, you don't have to worry about busting your captain upgrade either..........:p

You missed my point...my dad was a SGT (not a general) and I made O-4. I was refering to your VIP father comment earlier. You have a few years on me so I understand where you are coming from now. O-4 educational "requirements" differ by service. For the Navy, it is not "required." The kiss of death you speak of for us occurs when screening for O-5 and if you don't have JPME (Joint Professional Military Education) phase one complete you are all but done. I believe the USAF equivalent is ACSC. I too am frustrated with that mentality. So if you don't take personal time away from your family taking night courses for some useless knowledge, you are not worthy of promotion (regardless of your record)? Frustrating indeed.

To the OP - IMO, if you have the time and don't mind the sacrifice, a Master's degree definitely can't hurt you. When comparing you to another potential hire, it could be used to separate you from the group, but it won't take the place of or supersede professional education/experience within your field.

I am just finishing an MBA - I started it because I had free time on my hands on overnights and figured it would be better to use that time for something productive rather than watching football on TV.

The degree has gave me a better understanding of business and the airline world. I can't control the company, but it gives me a better understanding of why decisions are made.

Did it help me get hired at Delta? Don't know, but the interviewers seem impressed that I was getting it, but I had other good things on my resume too. I am certain it helped me stand out from the crowd - and I think that's the name of the game. Everyone in the interview is technically qualified - it's making yourself stand out from the crowd. An advanced degree will help with that.

iaflyer-
quick question? Where are you getting your MBA and did DAL allow you to take time off to go to your school? I am looking at using my Air Force reserve tuition assistance and the post 9-11 GI Bill to expand my options and a couple of programs I am looking at require you to go for a weekend a quarter.
Thanks

Hey CT, I got my MBA from Arizona State (WP Carey) by correspondence while I was flying for the reserves and 121 carriers. For our lifestyle, its probably the best one you can get. Its accredited and nationally ranked. I think its currently about $40K, 2 year program, you take 1 class at a time every 6 weeks (pretty intense workload), and the air force will pay probably close to 30% of that especially since they just upped it to 100% tuition assistance up to $250 per credit hour. The only one I found that was better was Indiana but its more expensive and you have to take the finals on campus.