Advice needed

Sandesh · April 18th, 2006, 12:30

Dear Fellow Aviators,
I was just wondering how long does it take to finish off all the licenses if you can fly every day?. Because I have been thinking off finsihing off my licenses then get a bachelors degree. How does that sound to you all? Do you think It's a good idea?.

SharkFisher · April 18th, 2006, 13:48

No, finish off your bachelor's degree first. Obviously when you get all your ratings and be employed as a CFI, and build your hours, you get very tempted to apply for regionals. Sure, sounds good upto that point, but then you will have one heck of a time getting into a major, considering how competitive it might most likely be in the upcoming future. Working on a bachelors degree takes time, and hard work. Devote your self more into that at this point. IF you can, fly part-time and soon after you finished your bachelors fly full-time.

Doug Taylor · April 18th, 2006, 13:52

Degree first.

scramjet · April 18th, 2006, 15:18

Degree first, in my opinion. Personally, I am just going to finish off my PPL and possibly instrument rating over the summer and then just concentrate on finishing my degree. I found it's very hard to stay consistent with getting instruction when you're busy with other stuff (namely college).

CRoper · April 18th, 2006, 18:14

I am going to go against the grain on this one. I did a majority of my Bachelors prior to getting too serious with my flight training, and I look back and totally regret doing it that way. If I could do it again I would have just gotten all my ratings, (atleast until CFI) then started working on a degree. You can easily get on with a regional without a degree, and there are many online degrees (accredited) you can do that are totally flexible and don't require you to set foot in a formal classroom. This would have saved me YEARS. I know that people are going to disagree with me on this, but I am just telling it like I see it, from personal experience.

falconvalley · April 19th, 2006, 00:04

Be careful with flying everyday. Fatigue sets in pretty quick when you fly regularly and have other, outside responsibilities, especially when you have to soak in learning material/experience. When I was working on my instrument and commercial, I would double up training flights on my days off. There were days where I didn't learn a darn thing on my second flight and sometimes I was tired already on the first flight of the day. It can be a waste of a flight. There were also times where I was downright dangerous.

If you decide to start flying more than 3-4 days a week, make sure you self-analyze your readiness to fly each flight. It would help tremendously if you had an instructor watching over your shoulder and is dedicated to taking you seriously.

BrettInLJ · April 19th, 2006, 00:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRoper

I am going to go against the grain on this one. I did a majority of my Bachelors prior to getting too serious with my flight training, and I look back and totally regret doing it that way. If I could do it again I would have just gotten all my ratings, (atleast until CFI) then started working on a degree. You can easily get on with a regional without a degree, and there are many online degrees (accredited) you can do that are totally flexible and don't require you to set foot in a formal classroom. This would have saved me YEARS. I know that people are going to disagree with me on this, but I am just telling it like I see it, from personal experience.

There could be some truth to that, but what happens if he loses his medical in 5 years? A degree that is marketable would come in real handy then. I do wish I had concentrated on my licenses more WHILE getting my degree and then trained full time a lot sooner.

CRoper · April 19th, 2006, 01:31

You make a very good point, which leads me to my second regret about my degree. By the time I learned that you didn't need a degree in aviation to fly professionally, I was almost done. I would definitley get a degree in something like business managment or accounting....etc. But, on the flip side there is always risks in life, some pay off, others backfire. If he really wants to fly, and wants to get there quicker, my original post is how I would go about it. There are also more and more accredited schools doing all kinds of online 4 year degrees that are actually pretty good. So that is still a viable option.

British Pilot · April 19th, 2006, 11:52

I would certainly recommend studying part-time, at your local university or on-line of course through a quality, accredited school and fly as often as you feel you want to. Achieve a balance in both so you can achieve both goals in the timescales you have estimated. No sense in setting a regimented schedule of flying if you are flying too often, are fatigued, or feel overloaded with information and are falling behind on your ground school. Make a judgement based on your own abilities and amend it as necessary. Most of us homo sapiens learn more effectively when information is presented in manageable portions, and mix it up with other topics of study rather than obsessing on one.

The internet affords us the opportunity of on-line study, so you can use this to your advantage. There will be days where you want to engross yourself in aviation, and days when you will feel this way towards your degree and need a break from flying to reflect on what you are learning. The self-paced environment of both will accomodate you quite nicely.

Not necessarily in this thread, but I know quite a few folks talk about studying business or accounting degrees, I would disagree, though I do recognise they mean well by explaining you need options outside aviation. Study towards something that interests you even if this is Equine Psychology. Believe me your business degree arms you for very little in the real world of "business", and is not as vocational as one may think. Don't study business or accounting if maths is not your strong point, concepts in economics and accounting will elude and frustrate you.
It is my opinion, that unless you are applying for a job where specific vocational skills are required i.e. Programmer, Translator, Mechanical Engineer, Commodities Trader, employers would simply like to see that you have a degree, and not necessarily focus on what discipline you studied.

I work in hi-tech and have an Economics degree, soon to be working in aviation!. The Product Managers, Trainers, Sales Management, Technical Management, even the Technical Support staff have degrees in all kinds of subjects. My previous employer had the same mix with a staff of 300. Humanities, Engineering and Arts. The focus being on whether you had a degree or not, and therefore have previously demonstrated the capacity to learn, study, absorb and apply.

Good luck old chap.

April 18th, 2006, 12:30	#1
Sandesh Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: TEXAS Posts: 83	Advice needed Dear Fellow Aviators, I was just wondering how long does it take to finish off all the licenses if you can fly every day?. Because I have been thinking off finsihing off my licenses then get a bachelors degree. How does that sound to you all? Do you think It's a good idea?.

April 18th, 2006, 13:52	#3
Doug Taylor Agent Smith Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: KSDL Posts: 40,593 Blog Entries: 1	Degree first. __________________ Doug Taylor http://76school.flyblog.com (old!) http://30west.flyblog.com (updated 11/28)

April 19th, 2006, 00:04	#6
falconvalley Old Skool Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: KMKE Posts: 1,948	Be careful with flying everyday. Fatigue sets in pretty quick when you fly regularly and have other, outside responsibilities, especially when you have to soak in learning material/experience. When I was working on my instrument and commercial, I would double up training flights on my days off. There were days where I didn't learn a darn thing on my second flight and sometimes I was tired already on the first flight of the day. It can be a waste of a flight. There were also times where I was downright dangerous. If you decide to start flying more than 3-4 days a week, make sure you self-analyze your readiness to fly each flight. It would help tremendously if you had an instructor watching over your shoulder and is dedicated to taking you seriously. __________________ British Airways flight asks for push back clearance from terminal. Control Tower replies: "And where is the world's most experienced airline going today without filing a flight plan?"

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April 18th, 2006, 13:48	#2
SharkFisher Junior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: CH PA Posts: 238	No, finish off your bachelor's degree first. Obviously when you get all your ratings and be employed as a CFI, and build your hours, you get very tempted to apply for regionals. Sure, sounds good upto that point, but then you will have one heck of a time getting into a major, considering how competitive it might most likely be in the upcoming future. Working on a bachelors degree takes time, and hard work. Devote your self more into that at this point. IF you can, fly part-time and soon after you finished your bachelors fly full-time.

April 18th, 2006, 15:18	#4
scramjet Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the sky Posts: 1,106	Degree first, in my opinion. Personally, I am just going to finish off my PPL and possibly instrument rating over the summer and then just concentrate on finishing my degree. I found it's very hard to stay consistent with getting instruction when you're busy with other stuff (namely college).

April 18th, 2006, 18:14	#5
CRoper Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Utah Posts: 148	I am going to go against the grain on this one. I did a majority of my Bachelors prior to getting too serious with my flight training, and I look back and totally regret doing it that way. If I could do it again I would have just gotten all my ratings, (atleast until CFI) then started working on a degree. You can easily get on with a regional without a degree, and there are many online degrees (accredited) you can do that are totally flexible and don't require you to set foot in a formal classroom. This would have saved me YEARS. I know that people are going to disagree with me on this, but I am just telling it like I see it, from personal experience.

April 19th, 2006, 01:31	#8
CRoper Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Utah Posts: 148	You make a very good point, which leads me to my second regret about my degree. By the time I learned that you didn't need a degree in aviation to fly professionally, I was almost done. I would definitley get a degree in something like business managment or accounting....etc. But, on the flip side there is always risks in life, some pay off, others backfire. If he really wants to fly, and wants to get there quicker, my original post is how I would go about it. There are also more and more accredited schools doing all kinds of online 4 year degrees that are actually pretty good. So that is still a viable option.

April 19th, 2006, 11:52	#9
British Pilot Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 110	I would certainly recommend studying part-time, at your local university or on-line of course through a quality, accredited school and fly as often as you feel you want to. Achieve a balance in both so you can achieve both goals in the timescales you have estimated. No sense in setting a regimented schedule of flying if you are flying too often, are fatigued, or feel overloaded with information and are falling behind on your ground school. Make a judgement based on your own abilities and amend it as necessary. Most of us homo sapiens learn more effectively when information is presented in manageable portions, and mix it up with other topics of study rather than obsessing on one. The internet affords us the opportunity of on-line study, so you can use this to your advantage. There will be days where you want to engross yourself in aviation, and days when you will feel this way towards your degree and need a break from flying to reflect on what you are learning. The self-paced environment of both will accomodate you quite nicely. Not necessarily in this thread, but I know quite a few folks talk about studying business or accounting degrees, I would disagree, though I do recognise they mean well by explaining you need options outside aviation. Study towards something that interests you even if this is Equine Psychology. Believe me your business degree arms you for very little in the real world of "business", and is not as vocational as one may think. Don't study business or accounting if maths is not your strong point, concepts in economics and accounting will elude and frustrate you. It is my opinion, that unless you are applying for a job where specific vocational skills are required i.e. Programmer, Translator, Mechanical Engineer, Commodities Trader, employers would simply like to see that you have a degree, and not necessarily focus on what discipline you studied. I work in hi-tech and have an Economics degree, soon to be working in aviation!. The Product Managers, Trainers, Sales Management, Technical Management, even the Technical Support staff have degrees in all kinds of subjects. My previous employer had the same mix with a staff of 300. Humanities, Engineering and Arts. The focus being on whether you had a degree or not, and therefore have previously demonstrated the capacity to learn, study, absorb and apply. Good luck old chap.