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nbv4 · January 10th, 2008, 21:42

What bothers most people when it comes to college degrees is the fact that ultimately it adds very little to your piloting skill set, but with a huge cost.

I have a four year degree, and honestly I can't really see it being anywhere as valuable per dollar as my flight training was. I think it's very likely for a high time pilot to be a very capable airline captain without a college degree. I can also see a high time pilot who has a 4 year degree who can't do the job for crap.

A person trying to pursue a career in law is going to have zero chances trying to get hired at a law firm without a law degree. This is obvious. A person is not going to just walk in to an airline to get a job without nothing but a student certificate. What does a college degree prove about a pilot? "It proves you are disciplined to complete something like a degree program". Wouldn't passing systems training for a regional prove the same thing? Doesn't flying the line at a cargo outfit prove discipline?

It's a lot like that radio operator's permit that all pilots planning on going to Canada need to get. You fill out a form and mail it in along with a check and it's yours. That piece of paper doesn't make you a better employee, it doesn't make you a better pilot, it doesn't even make you a better person. Its just a $50 piece of paper that allows you to check a box on a job application. If you could get out of paying for a radio operators permit, would you try to get out of it? I see colege degrees the same way. If I were older with a lot of hours, and not having a college degree was holding me back, I don't think I'd bother getting it. Maybe if I really really really wanted a job that required a degree, or if there was something I really wanted to study, I wouldn't bother wasting the thousands of dollars just to check a box. There are plenty of employers out there who can look past college degrees and realize you can be a good pilot without 4 years of college.

And I don't really blame Airlines for requiring them either. I imagine it would be kind of a PR nightmare if passengers found out there are airlines that hire people to captain their jets who don't have a degree.

January 10th, 2008, 21:42	#45
nbv4 Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 89	Re: Don't need a degree eh? What bothers most people when it comes to college degrees is the fact that ultimately it adds very little to your piloting skill set, but with a huge cost. I have a four year degree, and honestly I can't really see it being anywhere as valuable per dollar as my flight training was. I think it's very likely for a high time pilot to be a very capable airline captain without a college degree. I can also see a high time pilot who has a 4 year degree who can't do the job for crap. A person trying to pursue a career in law is going to have zero chances trying to get hired at a law firm without a law degree. This is obvious. A person is not going to just walk in to an airline to get a job without nothing but a student certificate. What does a college degree prove about a pilot? "It proves you are disciplined to complete something like a degree program". Wouldn't passing systems training for a regional prove the same thing? Doesn't flying the line at a cargo outfit prove discipline? It's a lot like that radio operator's permit that all pilots planning on going to Canada need to get. You fill out a form and mail it in along with a check and it's yours. That piece of paper doesn't make you a better employee, it doesn't make you a better pilot, it doesn't even make you a better person. Its just a $50 piece of paper that allows you to check a box on a job application. If you could get out of paying for a radio operators permit, would you try to get out of it? I see colege degrees the same way. If I were older with a lot of hours, and not having a college degree was holding me back, I don't think I'd bother getting it. Maybe if I really really really wanted a job that required a degree, or if there was something I really wanted to study, I wouldn't bother wasting the thousands of dollars just to check a box. There are plenty of employers out there who can look past college degrees and realize you can be a good pilot without 4 years of college. And I don't really blame Airlines for requiring them either. I imagine it would be kind of a PR nightmare if passengers found out there are airlines that hire people to captain their jets who don't have a degree.