Well, here is my .02 cents. I am just finishing my BA I will be done in a few weeks. Thank God!! Do I feel I am better pilot because of it? Definitly not. I never really got the concept of the degree. Oh, well If I had to do it all over again I would have done my BA through an online program. I have my Associates in aviation science. but, I had to spend the extra two years getting my BA and I missed some flying opportunites because of it. You can better believe the MBA will be all online.

 

It's the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz analogy. Uusually you don't end up any smarter because you have a degree, but people will think you are. My 2 cents--get the cheapest and quickest degree you can, but not fake. Perhaps an interviewer will look on it as a positive that at age late 20's and military experience, you had the gumption and determination to "better" your education to pursue your dream. See there you go, given you the opening of your interview. Smoke and mirrors.

 

It is all when you apply and what is being demanded at the time. I am probably one of a handfull at a major without any college. I actually left high school early to pursue flying. Strange huh. I never thougt I'd go to a major but I got a job offer when I was 18 to go fly fr8 so I quit school moved to Florida and finished my GED. Always figured I'd get an early jump on a good corporate job and I did.

Got lucky and interviewed with CAL and explained my stupidity and got hired at 26. DO NOT DO THIS NOW! I AM NOT THE EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW!

 

Want an engineering degree walk down to the military schools - didn't the academies start out as pure engineering schools. I believe all cadets still get 2 + years of engineering as a foundation.

Many state schools have excellent engineering programs (BS thru doctorate). I can think of one right off the top of my head - University of Louisiana, Lafayette has an excellent computer engineering program...

You'll save years of payment on a student loan by going thru a state school. I've said it before - all you need to know about flying is found in FAA published / approved training manuals. You don't need an aero science degree to make you a pilot.

-LAFF

 

Thanks for that last line...A few would have been flip about their lack of an education. An education is worth the investment - I'd rather answer a question about why I went to school and what it did for me than one about why I didn't complete a degree...Why tap dance when you don't have to...

For those considering on-line degrees check out American Military University. They have a good selection of BA/BS and Masters programs. If you're like me and go to school to learn about subjects you're interested in check them out.

-LAFF

 

Got lucky and interviewed with CAL and explained my stupidity and got hired at 26. DO NOT DO THIS NOW! I AM NOT THE EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW![/QUOTE]
What year were you hired?

 

What year were you hired?[/QUOTE]

I was hired in 1990. I am not a scab if that is what you were refering to. Also, while I explained my situation and stupidity to CAL in the interview and got the job I also have since completed my BS and my Masters in social sciences. I now volunteer my time on days off as a counselor for troubled kids who have chosen a life around drugs/alcohol and other mental instability issues.

I didn't feel going beyond getting hired at a major relevant to the thread. So while I was technically a high school drop out with a GED when I was hired by CAL I have more than made up for it for my own personal reasons. And would now put my education and life experiences up against anyone. But it isn't who I am. I did what I did. And for me it worked out but again I wouldn't recommend anyone follow my example prior to getting on with a major.

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Just realized you are the poster who always seems to attack CAL pilots and assumes we are all scabs. You were hired by a carrier that was already ALPA. I fought to actually get ALPA back on our property. Too bad there are ALPA pilots out there like you who see the whole group through the eyes and actions of a few. Proud to be an ALPA pilot and I would never cross a picket line but it is you who needs to go back and read volumes one and two. I think you missed the whole point. Sadly, it is elitist attitudes like yours why my plate is so full of kids who have lost touch with their parents and turn to drugs.

BTW, loved the manual your company sent out. Nice.