Originally Posted by SAABaroowski

Your qualifications have less to do with getting hired than who you know

Originally Posted by 7576FO

I had a AAS degree arts & science no aviation credits. While flying for a regional I noticed alot of pilots would start and stop and drag on forever trying homestudy to get their 4 year degree. It seemed like I didn't no anyone that had finished.
I applied to a State college and both attended and did home study, this was before internet courses. Most of the attendance were weekend 2 credit courses, the rest was all home study. It took me 1 full year and I got a BS degree.
During that year I took one 1 month leave of absence since they were offering at the time. During that one year my live-in girlfriend was put on the back burner and I ended up losing her.
I am very happy I got my degree. Perhaps if i'd have taken two years to get my degree, I might not have lost her. But for me, I had to put my head down and fully commit to "get r done"
Best wishes,
It can be done.
7576

Originally Posted by Seattlecfi

I have to disagree with that. I did not know anyone at any of the airlines I have worked for. In my new hire class at NWA, there was only 1 person who knew someone.

I might help sometimes, but it is not the be all end all of getting a job.

Originally Posted by ewrbasedpilot

Maybe where you work that's the case, but at CAL, 99% of the newhires are hired because of recommendations, with qualifications playing a part, but not a huge part. Yes, having thousands of hours helps, but if the person recommending you has a good reputation, hasn't abused his sick leave (yes they check), then the chances of you getting a job go up immensely. You also have to have flown with the individual you are recommending. (That was a recent change, as well as the need to have the four year degree). I did get a friend hired that didn't have a degree, but he was a CA at Mesaba and had good qualifications. Haven't seen anyone without a degree get hired for quite some time now (last four or five years). Doesn't mean it can't happen, just not seeing it.

Originally Posted by seaav8tor

WHEN and IF hiring ever starts again the fact that you don't have it will put you at a significant disadvantage. So much so that you will probably get stuck at a commuter.

That being said the really big picture shot with a wide angle lens over the last 20 years shows the airline pilot wannabe minimum requirements have drastically declined (along with pay..... hence they cannot be so selective).

Great news if you didn't meet one of the "old school" requirements. Bad news if you thought the career going forward was going to pay more than a plumber.

Old school, heavy iron you needed: (some unwritten but none the less required or it was a very long shot)

(1) 4 year degree
(2) Military Flight training
(3) 20/20 vision
(4) psych testing
(5) aptitude testing
(6) company physical exam
(7) height / weight limits
(8) ATP MEL
(9) FEW or rating
(10) Big fat log with jet time
(11) subjective interview evaluation 100 times more stringent than today, (how is this guy going to look in our uniform.... Cary Grant... hired... or... next)


Many remnants from the above list remain but are only a shadow of their former self. Without taking a position good/bad on the ramifications of those changes I will simply point out a couple facts:

All of the requirements have been reduced over the long haul. Perhaps in conjunction with a community college MPL program we will see the 4 year requirement go away in the future.

By casting a wider net many more people are now able to do the job. As a result the supply of pilots is now, for all practical purposes, and with MPL, unlimited. This is why "It's not your father's airline pilot paycheck". And, it's why looking forward pay is going to continue down. Big time after MPL hits the US.

If you are just starting out, don't ever say 30 years from now you were never warned the career would not pay off financially.

You just were.