Airline Pilot Central Forums - Do you have a college degree?

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- - Do you have a college degree? (https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/regional/124970-do-you-have-college-degree.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Violated (Post 2912801)

I don't have a HS diploma or GED and was hired by a regional.

I do have a BS Computer Science. I've recently accepted an offer to move up. I was at the regional for about a year. I suspect the 4 year technical degree was a factor in getting the offer.

If you have a college degree, I doubt anyone would care about HS either way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenix1 (Post 2912782)

Great discussion on a Bachelor’s degree. What impact does earning a Master’s degree have getting hired by The Big 6? What impact does a Master’s degree have on getting hired at an ACMI or upper tier 91K or LCC?

It will help, it's a box to check.

But there are some statistics out there showing a high rate of post-grad education for major hires. Be aware that some of that is correlation, not causation... military pilots must get advanced degrees to career progress, and it's usually paid for by Uncle. That skews the stats, since most of those guys are actually getting hired for their mil wings, not their masters degrees.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyio (Post 2912870)

It is a antiquated model that I am confirming too, begrudgingly, not because I don’t love learning but because it is arbitrary.

You meant to say conforming. Don’t worry, they will teach you that by graduation.

Sorry couldn’t resist!!! 😂

Quote:

Originally Posted by DontLookDown (Post 2912929)

You meant to say conforming. Don’t worry, they will teach you that by graduation.

Sorry couldn’t resist!!! ��

It is ironic, that everyone who posts about not having a degree, usually has awful grammar. However, the mistakes are usually below a High School level English class. College isn't going to fix that, and for the right price, at the right "college", anyone can get a degree with that minimal effort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesabah (Post 2912939)

Yeah OK, lets start hyper analyzing grammar on a forum that was most likely typed on a cell phone while walking through a terminal. Way to prove your point though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyio (Post 2912947)

Yeah OK, lets start hyper analyzing grammar on a forum that was most likely typed on a cell phone while walking through a terminal. Way to prove your point though.

I use good grammar even on my phone. The phone makes laughably obvious typos sometimes. This is sort of a professional forum, where you can interact with real industry professionals who you might not otherwise have access to (I certainly didn't when I was a kid).

Many folks here have given and received career advice/assistance, but the people who can help will usually be turned off by poor writing skills or plain laziness. You're not texting your "squad".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyio (Post 2912947)

....most likely typed on a cell phone while walking through a terminal.

That could be unsafe....:D

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015...7074570256.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyio (Post 2912870)

So everyone stating that the degree represents the face of the company is full of it.

For most customers they don’t even recognize they are on another airline other than a smaller plane and perhaps it being announced as “operated by”. My point being if we are good enough for their customers at a regional level why do we suddenly need a degree to be good enough for it at mainline?

Things I do at a regional I also would do at mainline.

1. Show up for work
2. Respect my fellow employees
3. Keep safety as my number one goal.
4. Ensure customer satisfaction
5. Make announcements, speak to passengers.
6. Deal with weather and mechanical.
7. Deal with co-workers and their individual personalities.
8. Maintain health and ratings
9. Pass training events
10. Spend time away from home
11. Make complicated decisions that involve many different factors
12. Etc etc etc.

Name something you do at mainline I don’t do at a regional and describe to me how not having a degree somehow precludes me from doing it mainline but not at a regional?

It is a antiquated model that I am confirming too, begrudgingly, not because I don’t love learning but because it is arbitrary.

You do realize I said that’s why they want the degree. Never did I actually say they were right. It’s simple really. Regional airlines were created as a source of cheap labor. A job you voluntarily chose to do. Now you want to be not so cheap labor and you have to play the game. There, do you like that better?

If I were advising a kid who wanted to be a pilot, I would tell them this:

1- get your ratings ASAP and start building hours in a 135 position.

2- start working on an inexpensive online degree in your free time... ideally something diverse as a fall back in case you lose your medical or don't want to fly (I highly recommend finance because it is useful and versatile)

3- get your ATP at age 23

4- by then you may have enough hours to bypass the regionals all together, or at least your stay at the regionals won't be very long.

Ratings first, degree second

If my legacy employer told me to grow a mustache to look more like a pilot, I’d do it. It won’t make me a better pilot, but if it allows me to keep my job and provide a better QOL for my family, I’ll do it. Some things don’t make sense, such as having a college degree to fly bigger airplanes, but it’s certainly easier to just play the game.