Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Bose
"(which is worth the same as any other degree btw)"
Liberal arts degrees, maybe. Engineering and business.....no.
Despite ERAU's propaganda 180 degrees to the contrary, there is no justification for a useless degree in flying airplanes, especially one that costs $100K (tuition only). Internships, reduced minimums, nothing. I don't care HOW many stories about MiG Alley you get to hear from your E6B instructor.
It is worth the same as any other degree. If you get an Engineering degree, fly as a career, and 5 years down the line you lose your medical or can't fly for whatever reason, and decide to start a new career, that degree in Engineering means the exact samething as a degree in Aviation. You can check off that box that says 4 year degree.
You are too far out of college to use it. People you will be competing with either have 5 years working the field or a brand new degree (more than likely with an internship). You are not competive in that field, and to think that is a viable backup, is setting yourself up for a big disappointment. You are too far behind the industry. Airlines don't hire people who haven't flown in the past 5 years, and companies (which require a specific degree) won't hire someone with a 5 year old degree that was never used. You will forget what you learned, and companies know that.
It may help a year or two out, but after that, its nothing but a 4-year degree. Further in an other post I did a cost comparison, of going to a traditional 4-year college + ATP, and going to ERAU (mainly because it is the one school that is referenced so often). I was curious if it really did cost that much more. Well I found that the only cheaper way was a state school (resident of that state, living on campus though because people in the thread were talking about the "college expeirence" which you miss out on if you commute) and ATP, and that was $7,000 cheaper (this excludes financial aid and scholarships ofcourse). In the grand scheme of things, that is not a huge difference, atleast not as big as some on here would make it out to be. The debt will be similair. So what I concluded, was that you might as well do what you enjoy, and major in whatever you think would interest you. To major in something believing it will be a backup is a faltely line of thought, especially the further out of college you get. The degree is like a car, it starts losing value as soon as you take it off campus.
I also have to wonder, did you go to ERAU?? I don't (and haven't), so I do not know what their classes are like or what they teach, but if you didn't either then I would have to say you are in the same boat.