Some help with college planing and aviation career

[769270865 0]

Hi

I am currently a senior in highschool, and I start collage planing, i do have to admit that I don't have good grades so I am thinking going to a community college and transfer to a four year college.

I herd that if pursit  pilot as career it is best not to go with a degree that related to aviation field but I can't find something else that I intrested about. So I am thinking about go with aviation science degree.

 

My concernig is that can I transfer this degree from community college to a four year college? is this degree transferble?

 

I live in southern california, anyone knows what community college have advantage in aviation science?

Thank you

[19dcavscout 39]

Check out the military. It is honestly the best way to get into aviation, and they will pay you. You can either do a street to seat thing or enlist and then apply for Warrant Officer Candidate School and learn to fly helicopters are go fixed-wing. It is worth a shot. You won't find anywhere else in aviation that will pay you what they do for as little experience as you will have. Trying to get paid to fly is expensive and takes a ton of time. Don't go into it thinking it is a maybe, or something you might like to do. Otherwise, you will just end up with a crap ton of debt and nothing to show for it.

[Alan Rhodes 2]

First of all, learn how to spell or at least check your spelling. I counted 13 spelling and grammar mistakes in that short post. If I had received your job application it would have gone in the bin.

[Oracle427 45]

Tough love but I have to agree. These were the very first thoughts in my mind when I read the post.

[Chris Bell 165]

don’t get discouraged by the posts above,

 

the military is your best route and is the biggest player in this sandbox by far;

it is an excellent ground to gain education, skills and professional credit,

[ExNusquam 11]

I've done the 4 year aviation college thing, and sat through airline training. While I'm not flying for a living (and don't have anywhere close to the legal minimums to do so), I can speak with a bit of authority on this:

 

1) Grades might not be the most important now, but presentation is. Seriously, make a good first impression. As others have said, my first impression of your request was that you miss-spelled "college" in your post. Furthermore, you want to build a personal "brand" so that when a future employer asks around about you, everyone has some kind of story of your competence, etc. 

 

2) Grades do become important. Airlines do look at grades to see how well you will sit training. Instructor pilots make good money per hour, and sims cost thousands per hour to run. They don't want to spend money on you if you're going to fail out. 

 

3) Flying is expensive. Seriously, I entered college with my PPL already, and I spent 30k on flying to get my Commercial, Instrument and Multi. Unless you have significant savings or supportive parents, you're going to have to take out loans. Student loans have painful interest rates, and most entry level flying jobs don't pay that well. 

 

4) Have a backup. The reason people don't recommend that you go to aviation college is because after spending 30k on flying, it takes one slip-and-fall to give you a head injury and you've lost your medical for a year. If all you know how to do is fly airplanes and that happens, you're SOL. 

 

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. 

[769270865 0]

I've done the 4 year aviation college thing, and sat through airline training.

How about degree like Aviation Management  that  don't actually fly but theretical study?  

 aviation degree seems somewhat unpopular and little hard to find.

 

Aviation Technology , Aviation Science, Aviation Management, yay they are all under branch of aviation but what is the different between them?

Edited September 29, 2015 by n4gix
Removed excessive quote.

[TheNerd 12]

I'm also going to college soon and need some help as well. I currently have a relatively high average at a competitive school with a JROTC. I have very high grades in math (particularly Algebra and Trig) and sciences (Physics and Biology). My friend and I were talking about it one day and he wants to be part of an Air Force ROTC in college. Serve 4 years minimum and either continue with a military career or go to grad school that's paid for by the military. I've considered joining an AFROTC or going to the Air Force Academy. I realize that only a small percentage of the Air Force flies, but that really does not concern me.

 

Does anybody here have any advice for me? Career choices, etc?

[ExNusquam 11]

 

How about degree like Aviation Management  that  don't actually fly but theretical study?  

 aviation degree seems somewhat unpopular and little hard to find.

 

Aviation Technology , Aviation Science, Aviation Management, yay they are all under branch of aviation but what is the different between them?

Aviation degrees are somewhat hard to find as they're rarely money-makers for the school. "Aviation Technology" and "Aviation Science" are basically the same thing, just depends on how the particular school phrases it. I don't even think my degree says "Aviation" anywhere on it, but that's what it is.

 

Aviation management is certainly an option; although at my school there wasn't enough really different about the degree to make it worth it. People in the flight track had good enough understanding of the operations side they could get jobs in management. I can think of several people who went flight and are now doing revenue management, etc. If you're interested in management, my advice would be to get your PPL outside of college and then go to business school. That would open up many more doors (including the aviation ones).

 

If you go management and want to fly for the airlines, you do still have to get your ratings, and then make it to R-ATP minimums. You're going to have to pay for it somehow, be it out of pocket, loans or military service. 

 

Does anybody here have any advice for me? Career choices, etc?

If you have the grades and so desire, continue with AFROTC. Apply to the service academies and other schools that traditionally get lots of flight slots. Major in Aerospace Engineering and work your butt off. Even if you don't get a pilot slot, the engineering background will get you into something interesting.

[TheNerd 12]

 

If you have the grades and so desire, continue with AFROTC. Apply to the service academies and other schools that traditionally get lots of flight slots. Major in Aerospace Engineering and work your butt off. Even if you don't get a pilot slot, the engineering background will get you into something interesting.

 

 

What kind of jobs would a major in aerospace engineering have? And do these people make decent money? I have also considered going into the med field, but I'm still trying to figure things out lol.

[dmncnpilot 39]

Don't Let Anybody Discourage You! Especially the Grammar Police up a few posts

 

Your plan on a community college is fine. Airlines don't care what college/university you go to. As long as the institution is accredited. Your major won't matter either, so my suggestion is to get a degree in something other than aviation. 

 

If you're thinking about joining the military, please look into every branch of service. Too many people are so focused on flying that they only look at the Airforce and unfortunately neglect the Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. See which one can offer you the most for your time, dedication and service. The GI Bill is an amazing benefit. 

[gmoneyprs 2]

There are some salient points being made.

 

1) Perhaps biased as an English major (but with a technical graduate degree whose contents isn't really applicable here), writing is important. Many technical jobs (e.g. STEM) can get away with shoddy grammar and writing since the content is pretty important. But delivery is key and I strongly emphasize that care be put into the message. Believe me, it goes a long way, no matter what profession. If English is your first langauge, please take advantage of that as much as possible. If it is not, brush up as much as you can and you will see a benefit.

 

2) Reik makes a great point: all services have piloting needs, even the Coast Guard. As do the reserve branches and national guards. All that being said, you have over a dozen avenues to pursue if you want to serve.

 

3) I'll just make this an exploratory question but does something like ATC, aircraft maintence, etc. interest you? Often, these are high-paying and stimulating jobs. Also, you may consider airline techops or dispatching.

 

4) I strongly invite you to read Cockpit Confidential by Patrick Smith, a commercial pilot and notable airline columnist. Among many topics he covers in his [oddly configured] book is the process of becoming a pilot. It is costly, time-consuming, all completely centered on the idea of "seniority." It is quite simply not the same career as it was 15 years ago, let alone 30 or 50. You may also get some fairly valuable insight into the career in a practical sense (as opposed to a technical one).

 

Hope this helps.

[cmpbellsjc 2,960]

There are some salient points being made.

 

1) Perhaps biased as an English major (but with a technical graduate degree whose contents isn't really applicable here), writing is important. Many technical jobs (e.g. STEM) can get away with shoddy grammar and writing since the content is pretty important. But delivery is key and I strongly emphasize that care be put into the message. Believe me, it goes a long way, no matter what profession. If English is your first langauge, please take advantage of that as much as possible. If it is not, brush up as much as you can and you will see a benefit.

I'd have to agree with what was mentioned above and by some other posters.

 

I don't think anyone is intentionally trying to disparage the topic starter or make him feel bad, but if you're an American high school student in their senior year, then there should be no excuse for spelling and grammer errors, especially considering that most web browsers have built in spell checkers.

 

That being said, presentation is very important, especially the written word when you're inquiring about career opportunities. These days a lot of the first steps are done via internet based applications and email, and if resumes and possibly essays are needed as part of a screening process, the poster probably won't make it past the first level of consideration with spelling and grammer issues.

 

If you're going to embark on a career, you might as well put your best foot forward, beginning with the simplest things like spelling and grammer.

 

 

4) I strongly invite you to read Cockpit Confidential by Patrick Smith, a commercial pilot and notable airline columnist. Among many topics he covers in his [oddly configured] book is the process of becoming a pilot. It is costly, time-consuming, all completely centered on the idea of "seniority." It is quite simply not the same career as it was 15 years ago, let alone 30 or 50. You may also get some fairly valuable insight into the career in a practical sense (as opposed to a technical one).

 

Hope this helps.

To reiterate what he said, try to read some books and talk to some flight instructors to get an idea of costs and possible pay grades of career pilots in different fields.

 

As an example, a friend of mine was a pilot for American Eagle flying the ATR72 prior to them getting rid of them. I was having lunch with him one day and asking him if he was happy with his career choice. To be blunt, he said he really wished he had not put himself into the type of debt that he had to join the airlines. His starting salary with American Eagle was around $27,000. He had flight attendants on his plane making more money than him and thy didn't put themselves into the type of debt that he had to get all his training. Not only that, due to his low salary he also has a part time job elsewhere and a roommate just to make ends meet. I haven't seen him since American ditched their ATR's and don't know if he's still with them or not.

 

I had also spent some time with a fellow who pilots the MD-80(3) for American and his store was similar. Although he's been a pilot with them for 20 or more years, he makes more money, but said that he can barely tolerate the job.

 

There's a lot of sacrifice to me made both financially if you don't get your training via the military and sacrifice in other areas as well. You'll be working weekends, holidays, nights and any weird combination while coming up. You maybe forced to live in areas you're not fond of because that might be where the airlines jobs are that are available.

 

Unfortunately it's not all peaches and cream like it may have been years ago. I don't mean to sound like a Debbie downer but it's important to know the downsides of the career as well so you can make an informed decision.

 

As far as the military goes, getting in for pilot training is no cake walk either. They only take the best of the best, both academically and physically before they commit to spending tons of money to train you.

 

When I was younger my goal was to be an USAF pilot. When I was in high school I was in the Civil Air Patrol, JR ROTC, was working on my PPL. When I got into college I was in the USAF ROTC programs General Military Course. After you complete that you can do the Professional Officers Course (POC) which you must be accepted to. My problem was that I had corrected vision which at the time was a huge barrier if you wanted to be accepted for pilot training. There were waivers available, but very few would get those wavers. If I had been accepted to the POC and completed it, I would have been stuck in the Air Force for a minimum of 4 years if I had not gotten a pilot slot and 6 years if I had gotten a pilot slot. I really had no interest in being in the USAF if I was not a pilot, so I ended up not applying for the POC knowing that the chances of getting a pilot slot with corrected vision were very slim. Policies may have changed since then regarding vision if you have laser correction that is readily available for an affordable price.

 

To put it mildly, military pilot training is the best and you get paid for it but getting accepted is very hard. You have to have excellent grades, be physically fit and have no physical problems, be well rounded as far as leadership qualities, physical qualities and mental qualities.

 

You also need to be able to ask yourself if and how willing you are to put yourself in harms way. Once you're in and finished your training there's always the chance that you might see combat in some form and if you're going to be able to handle the fact that the bad guys are going to try to shoot you down, kill you, or capture you if you either survive the crash or bail out.

 

It's a lot to consider, but something to consider none the less.

 

You could always get a degree in the computer/IT field, business or management and try to parley that into a non-flying aviation career. Or, get a career outside of aviation and make a lot of money, buy your own plane and fly for pleasure instead of as a job.

[n4gix 4,947]

My friend and I...

From this alone I see great promise for your future Phillip! :Applause:

[TheNerd 12]

I still have a year to decide where I want to start. We shall see...

Thank you for all the input guys!

 

 

From this alone I see great promise for your future Phillip! :Applause:

Thanks! Must be my half-Asian blood at work  :smile: