need direction for career choice! please help

[100LL]

I have always had a dream of flying. Over the past few years I built up 280 hours of flight time and now I'm about to bang out my commercial and instructor ratings. I have a lot of money invested and now I step back to take a look and question if I really want to be a pilot 🙁 Being a pilot doesn't look too glamorous to me anymore.

So, I still want to take advantage of the hard work and money invested and I'm looking into using my ratings to put toward a 4 year degree. My question is, if I would earn a degree in aviation science or management would that get me a job working somewhere within aviation? And would it be above poverty level? Please help I'm really at a crossroads here. I'm not sure if I'm making the right decisions in life. I hear too many horror stories about the regional airlines and what it takes to make ends meet. Maybe being a pilot isn't my dream after all.

Also, is it unheard of to see a pilot with a degree step into another field all together? Or would I be stuck trying to climb up the ladder as a pilot for the rest of my life????

Thanks

 

[Noah-Nothing]

I have always had a dream of flying. Over the past few years I built up 280 hours of flight time and now I'm about to bang out my commercial and instructor ratings. I have a lot of money invested and now I step back to take a look and question if I really want to be a pilot 🙁 Being a pilot doesn't look too glamorous to me anymore.

So, I still want to take advantage of the hard work and money invested and I'm looking into using my ratings to put toward a 4 year degree. My question is, if I would earn a degree in aviation science or management would that get me a job working somewhere within aviation? And would it be above poverty level? Please help I'm really at a crossroads here. I'm not sure if I'm making the right decisions in life. I hear too many horror stories about the regional airlines and what it takes to make ends meet. Maybe being a pilot isn't my dream after all.

Also, is it unheard of to see a pilot with a degree step into another field all together? Or would I be stuck trying to climb up the ladder as a pilot for the rest of my life????

Thanks

1ooLL, as a 24 year major airline pilot, I'll offer these observations:

If you seek glamour, get out. Go to NYC, Hollywood, maybe Nashville.

If it were me, I would seek a 4 yr degree outside of aviation. I have not seen that help people, and it just puts another egg in your aviation basket. Finance, IT, Business, Engineering, Education, even a law degree, will give you diversification and allow you to seek employment outside of flying. All of the degrees I mentioned would give you some expertise to offer your union in committee work, also. Learning a second language would help if you desire international work.

If you desire to "fly a desk", or get into management, a graduate degree from an aviation U would be helpful.

Learn about personal finance and investments.

Pick up an A&P if you can.

Learn a trade that you can always fall back on during hard times.

Avoid the most expensive flight schools and the high priced planes. Building hours is much cheaper flying a C-150 than in a 172 or Warrior.

Stay as unencumbered as you can, until you reach your goal. Being able to move quickly may get you through a window of opportunity that closes quickly.

Good luck,

NN

 

[100LL]

That's funny you mentioned an A&P. I've been thinking about doing that also. I'm just not sure which route I'm going to take. There are some 2 year A&P programs out there. Seems good.

1ooLL, as a 24 year major airline pilot, I'll offer these observations:

If you seek glamour, get out. Go to NYC, Hollywood, maybe Nashville.

If it were me, I would seek a 4 yr degree outside of aviation. I have not seen that help people, and it just puts another egg in your aviation basket. Finance, IT, Business, Engineering, Education, even a law degree, will give you diversification and allow you to seek employment outside of flying. All of the degrees I mentioned would give you some expertise to offer your union in committee work, also. Learning a second language would help if you desire international work.

If you desire to "fly a desk", or get into management, a graduate degree from an aviation U would be helpful.

Learn about personal finance and investments.

Pick up an A&P if you can.

Learn a trade that you can always fall back on during hard times.

Avoid the most expensive flight schools and the high priced planes. Building hours is much cheaper flying a C-150 than in a 172 or Warrior.

Stay as unencumbered as you can, until you reach your goal. Being able to move quickly may get you through a window of opportunity that closes quickly.

Good luck,

NN

 

[hardflyer]

@100LL
I would also suggest Aircraft Maintenace Engineering to you.
I am doing the same and there are lots of oppurtunities in this field bro.

 

[EricLv2Fish]

I've never had a problem finding a job in aviation technical data authoring, but you have to knowledge in structured data such as SGML and XML. All new data being created is using this technology and it's not to hard to learn. Helps if you have a 4 year degree to go along with it and/or an A/P.

Eric