I agree... Somebody brought up the military, and I ran with it. My argument wasn't about practicality but hiring practices.

I don't think airline pilots should need college degrees to get hired, and as far as the law is concerned, they don't. For whatever reason, public perception maybe, right now it's valued. I have no problem with that if that's what they value while the pickings are good. If the prophets are correct, and the application stacks at the airlines start to dwindle over the next few years, I have no problem with the prerequisite dropping off altogether. I don't think it would affect safety at all.

 

Absolutely agree. They have to come up with mandatory items to narrow down the applicant field. I'm dutifully working on mine currently, and so far it's been nothing but a waste of my time and Uncle Sam's money.


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All true. But, in the meantime, until we ALL start getting paid commensurate with our level of skill and responsibility, nobody wants to hear any whining or *****ing from someone whose ride has been 1/10th as long and 1/10th as rough. Just be happy somebody's now paying you to do what you used to have to ask mommy and daddy to pay for ...

 

Until we ALL start getting paid commensurate with our level of skill and responsibility, nobody wants to hear any whining or *****ing from someone who chose on their own to enter the industry at a bad time and is envious of people on the front side of a wave. Just be happy with the seniority your glorious struggle and hardships have earned you...

 

Well, it all starts with us. Just last week I refused a bunch of $200 trips in a king air 200. Market rate is $400 plus. Until we respect our own profession and skill set nobody else will either.


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Older guy here. I interviewed with an airline several years ago. The question was asked why I don't have a college degree. I ask the interviewer if he thought a college degree made someone smarter. He said no but it did show perseverance. That you can start something and stick to it. My mother called it sticktoitovnous. I was in my late 40's at the time. I told him that I've been married to the same woman for 27 years, have worked in the same job for 25 years, raised 4 kids, blah, blah, blah. The interviewer paused and said that my point was well made. I got hired.

I've worked with a lot of college degrees individuals and a lot of high school only graduates. I can say with certainty that many of the college degrees individuals weren't any smarter than the non college individuals. In fact I have a saying. "Too much college and not enough high school!" I also have come to the conclusion that colleges are no longer an institution of learning but an institution of profit. It seems they'll give a diploma to just about anyone that has the cash. In my opinion, sometimes, a degrees individual comes in with an attitude that he or she is smarter than everyone else in the room just because they have a degree. It's so entertaining seeing these folks knocked back peg after peg until they come to the conclusion that they just might be able to learn something from those around them.

I'm a retired air traffic controller. I got hired in 1982. When I went to the academy there were 360 of us that started and 140 of us passed. In my individual class of 20 only 6 of us made it. The other 14 were all college degrees. Of the 6 only 3 had college degrees. We had one individual that had a Ph.D. and was mathematically eliminated 4 weeks into the program. My son is also a controller. He went into the Marines right out of high school. The girl he was dating is also a controller but she took a different route. She went to ER and has over a $100k in student loans. They are doing the same job making exactly the same salary. And for the record, neither he nor I were controllers in the military.

When I went to my 10 year high school reunion many of my classmates went on to college and earned a degree. Many of them worked in the numerous factories and retail stores around the area. I'm not knocking that kind of labor just pointing out that they didn't need a degree for those jobs. I, on the other hand, joined the Air Force. That was the springboard for the rest of my adult work life.

My dad told me when I was very young that if someone offered me a pound of brains or an ounce of common sense, take the common sense.

 

^^^^.... I would add to what your dad told you and say that there is no "common" sense. If it were common, all would have it. I prefer to view it as "uncommon" sense, when an individual actually displays it.

Good post. Pretty much spot-on, and should be a beacon for folks to navigate by.

 

Thanks Bob. It seems to me that common sense is uncommon these days. I don't think a person can develop common sense. It's a God given thing. You either have it or you don't.

 

Great Post!!!!

 

I think that not having a degree says more about a person than having one does. In other words, it's not like a college degree is a desirable characteristic as much as not having one is an undesirable characteristic. It begs the question why did you not finish/not even start in the first place like everyone else in the world. I think that is the real issue for employers requiring it. I doubt you will ever find a major airline say they require a degree because they think it will "enhance your skill". It's just such a standard thing to have today that not requiring a 4 year BA would just be bizzare, espicially considering the amount of self worth we all perceive to have. There really isn't any excuse. There are affordable institutions, financial aid, student loans, even the military is a good option- basically everyone finds a way to do it. I'm not defending the legitimacy of the cost, I'm just saying there really isn't any excuse for having your highest education be a high school degree in a professional environment.

I do not mean to offend anyone who does not have a 4 year degree and I know of course there are exceptions to this. Everyone has their reasons and is entitled to their own opinion. I'm just speaking in general terms because this issue seems to confuse so many and it seems very very simple to me.