N1234

Just get a degree!

82spukram

Did you take two seconds to do a google search for cheap on line degrees. You get both your flying and a degree in aviation in 3 years if all you care about is getting to a major. It will keep all doors open.

Riverside

Go to school and get a degree. Never know, you might need it someday to fall back on.

Jland0413

No I didn't. I didn't think they had aviation degrees online. I'll take a look.

Dave Fitzgerald

This again. I'm sure you have done adequate research. But NOT having a college degree and getting a major airline job is extremely rare. It can be done, but not realistically.

Go get your college degree. Who knows, this might actually prepare you for life outside the airline when you get furloughed. It will happen. Very cyclical.

If you choose not to get the degree, you take your chances, wear the big boy pants....

toolowterrain

Ummm, having a degree DOES make you a better person in that you will have:

1) Educated yourself in general (education is always an asset to oneself) and made yourself far more competitive

2) Given yourself an opportunity to make a living if you poke your eye with a static wick on a walkaround, if a 9/11 2.0 occurs, economic downturn, etc.

Will it make you a better pilot? No.

The fact that you are willing to sacrifice an education and simply attend a puppy-mill flight school say's a lot about your character. By going to envoy you are simply taking the easy route. Sure, will you be an airline pilot. Sure, you might make it to AA mainline. But what then? What if you bend some metal along in training. What if you get furloughed? Then its you and 1000's of your closest buddies all competing for job, yet they have a degree and you don't.

Here is the thing: yeah it's a pilots market today. But all the companies are starting to throw money at pilots at the regional level. Money has this funny way of fixing problems. One day pilots will be in ample supply again. GO GET A DEGREE. End of story. If you don't like that advice, thats ok. I don't matter. Heck, then just stop asking for advice on the internet if you are not going to follow it. After all, I am just a guy who for 5 years spend every possible free second of the day and all his time in overnights working on a (non aviation) degree. So I am sure that your envoy buddies advice is better.

When I decided to fly, I knew exactly what I wanted and went to do it without thinking 'hmmm whats the easiest way with least effort from me'. While I am still at the regionals, I would not have the prospect of moving on soon if I didn't have a degree. But I have both bettered myself and now I can do something else in life if the airplane thing doesn't work out or if I get fed up.

Good Luck Sir.

Broncofan

When i got hired at Skywest it was in 2010 and the hiring market was very competitve. Although it wasnt required, very few were getting hired without the college degree. My point is that you are setting yourself up to get hired only at american if you take the envoy flow through. And that is only because of the hiring market we are in right now. Since you dont even have your PPL right now, a lot can happen between now and your americn airlines job and if another economic downturn hits, your setting yourself up to not being able to get hired by even a regional. Dont make things harder on yourself in the long run. Get your degree!!!!

MasterOfPuppets

Look you have been beaten up pretty bad here, and its well deserved, so I am going to ask you one question.

What are you going to do, and how are you going to support your family when you lose your medical?

svergin

Don't pick on him, its not his fault. It's a symptom of the entire Millennial generation. Get there with the least amount of effort.

N1234

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with optimizing output for a given input. No - I am not a millennial....

However, not getting a degree is an extremely high beta strategy. There is value in having options ...

Everyone thinking about getting away without a degree better google "Option Value" or "Black Scholes" and try to apply that concept to your career choices... oh, wait - maybe that is too academic.