Military vs. University
 

As an interviewer, would you prefer new pilots to have a military background or if they had a 4 year degree from a university?

"Military Background" can mean one of two things...

Normally in the airline industry it means a rated military pilots...the vast majority of ex-military fixed-wing pilots were commissioned officers, who had to complete college even before they joined the military. In this case the answer is "both"...airlines like ex-military pilots, who almost always have a degree anyway.

The exception is many US army helo pilots, who can enter that program without a four-year degree. Helicopter pilots normally cannot get an airline job, but some of them later transition to FW military flying and then on to airlines. But they can't get hired by airlines who require a degree unless they obtain one first.

If you are talking about a generic non-aviation military background, that is generally a positive thing because it shows you can function in an organization with rules, and will show up on time for work in a neat uniform...but it is not a substitute for a degree. All airlines prefer a four-year degree, and most of the better ones require it.

Rickair is right with his response. The question you pose really doesn't provide enough information - Where do you plan to get your ratings and acquire flying experience? It all boils down to experience and both the military and civilian flying will provide, they are just different types of experience.

Although many airlines do not require a degree there are some that do. Why would you want to close any doors to the future? It becomes particularly important as you progress on to the majors. Get your degree.

As far as helicopter flying - Helo pilots CAN get a job, albeit they will need to build the requisite fixed-wing flying to advance. They can be limited as airlines will discount the amount of rotary-wing time accepted. So regionals are really the only place for a military, rotary-wing pilot to go once they separate. And even then it can be tough when competing with folks who have a slew of fixed-wing experience.

Hope this helps!

Ah.. ok

But there are people who say that people going for a degree should major in something besides aviation so they can have a back-up plan.
Is this a good idea?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Is this a good idea?"

Yes, it's a good idea. Those who disagree claim that the back up degree is obsolete when you need it. My idea of the ideal situation is you use the back up degree from day one to pursue a second area of interest in your spare time. You'll see many folks, even at the bottom of the career, that claim to work 15 days a month. What you might do with the other 15 days, and a degree outside aviation, is priceless......

Like the others have said...absolutely get a degree in something other than aviation.
Yes, folks will argue that a degree is obsolete if you don't actually use it right away and build a career on it. BUT, the idea here is that if you truly need to start over in something other than flying, then at least you have the educational foundation to build upon. Yes, you'll be at the bottom, needing to acquire experience in that field to be competitive for the good jobs, but without the degree who is going to entertain hiring you into that field with no experience?

I hope this just made sense.
Lori

I went for a degree in Aviation Science and Administration. If you can afford to go to a flight college and can swing the massive loans (up to $159,000 if your out of state like me) afterwards or get scholarships to pay for them then it is worth it. I can tell you that I learned things at Western Michigan and University of North Dakota that alot of the local pilots have no idea about.

I do reccomend not doing a straight up flight science degree. It is a good idea to do the admin route and get the flight ratings on the side at the college or a dual degree. Your going to need a backup when times get rough....ie now.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions on the Universities PM me.

That knowledge may be nice, but in the grand scheme of things it is not worth that kind of money. This industry won't repay your investment.

In the real world one aviation degree is just like another, the exact wording on the diploma makes no difference (unless it is aero engineering which can open a lot of doors in industry).

Don't kid yourself that you're going to be able to get a job in airport management during an aviation downturn...when aviation is down, so is airport funding. Airport jobs will be just as competetive as pilot jobs, with experienced professionals applying for any job opening...along with 10,000 furloughed pilots with aviation degrees and no airport experience :rolleyes:

Thank you for all of your input and experiences!
So I guess I should major in 2 fields, and then move towards becoming a pilot.
If that fails, I can fall back onto another direction.

Thanks. All of it helped :]