Most schools should allow a dual major, if you're going the university aviation route to learn to fly that's fine. However, an airways science degree is pretty worthless is the real world - major in something else that has value in the job market, an Engineering degree is always a good choice.

If I could offer a piece of advice, it would be this. If you choose to continue flying, make sure you earn a college degree. Even better, make sure you earn a degree in something other than aviation, maybe business. If flying doesn't work out, at least you can fall back on your degree. If your degree is avaition and flying doesn't work out for you, then what?

There are other routes to military flying besides the service academies. Even so, getting a military pilot slot is certainly not guaranteed for anyone, even stellar candidates. And in the future, more and more "pilot slots" will likely be filled by UAV pilots. There are lots of threads with good info for aspiring military pilots..... do a little searching, you'll get a lot of opinions and info.

With the creation of the 18X AFSC, certainly *less* UAV/RPA pilots will be coming out of the traditional pilot training pipeline over the next 5 years.

That being said, there are many, many other factors about the military that make it less than being "the only thing that's guaranteed".

Or, if you are super smart like me you will spend all your money on a nifty aviation degree. Then when you wake up 4 years later and grab your tool belt to head off and build a house, doing 8th grade geometry with your new $200,000 dollar brain, you won't lack irony.

That's right folks, 4 year BS in aviation to learn how to use a nail gun.

I don't see how future pilots will be able to find enough students to make it to 1500 hours.

In the 1970's the ratio of hobby pilots to career minded ones was perhaps as much as three to one. Today however it is almost one to one. We have far too many flight instructors for the students available and it is due to get much worse.

Skyhigh

While I agree with much of your take on the dismal state of the aviation industry today, it is exactly that which makes me at least question whether this statement will prove to be true or not. Certainly it's never been more expensive to get into aviation than it is today - but I suspect that very fact (along with the hopeful elimination of the zero to hero programs) will dissuade enough wannabes from entering the field to enhance the opportunities for those who chose to do so.

At least I hope that proves to be the case...

When I went through flight training there were few opportunities for a pilot to finance their training. We all paid as we went. You would think that would have been an obstacle to new pilots but it did not seem to stem the tide at all.

My thinking is that enough bad press has gotten out about working conditions as an airline pilot to soil the myth to some degree. Add to that the 1500 hour requirement and you might see a significant drop off of new pilots.

However even at half the current rate and there is still a massive overabundance of pilots being made on an annual basis.

Skyhigh

When I got my first 121 job I had 1400TT/400 ME. That was low time as new hire back then(late 90's) by the way. I was a CFI at first, made contacts at the airport which got me into flying piston singles and twins as a corporate pilot. The 0 to hero program of recent years was not the norm. So the answer is do whatever you need to do. Move where the jobs are. In my early 20's I relocated to KS from NY. NOT where I wanted to be but I had contacts and job prospects there. If you want it bad enough, you will find a way to achieve your goals.

Couldnt agree more. Wanted the west coast. After stints in LA and MO I now find myself in TX.

Go where the planes are, period.