Next Career Move

Seeing a young person out of high school doing online college makes me sad. You're selling yourself short and missing out.

Please, go to a real college for 4 years and CFI during the summer. You won't regret it.

It shouldn't. Everybody is different. When I was in college I had friends that ended up taking one online class because the brick and mortar version wasn't available that semester and they liked it so much they finished out their degree online with no regrets. I was the opposite since I avoided online classes and liked college so much I stretched it out for over 6 years with graduate school. Different strokes for different folks and there is nothing wrong with that.

I agree. Out of high school I went straight into flying, and am doing the online thing. I currently fly a king air full time and just turned 21. You get much less out of online classes. Part of going to college is to meet people, network, develop social skills, etc and online classes do none of the above. I am currently thinking about stopping the whole online thing and going college.

@purpel I like the analogy you gave "I was once given an analogy about myself. Someone said if you had group of people drive to Alaska, that I would just gun it to Alaska never stopping and enjoying the ride or beauty. I would be the first one to arrive in Alaska, but then later the rest of the group would arrive also and they would of enjoyed the beauty and scenery as they drove to Alaska."

I was always in a rush and trying to get "ahead of the curve" and now that I have the job that I had really been striving for, I look back and realized how much I missed out on because I was so focused on one thing.. flying.

Sounds like the general consensus on the forum is go to college and instruct on the side!

Or spend a year in FL, get in state tuition, and you can instruct year round.

Florida state schools have essentially the cheapest tuition in the country. And most of them are near airports.

USF has several campuses around Tampa, and there are a dozen airports you could instruct at, including one of the busiest DZ's on earth (multi turbine equipment no less)

Hmm I chase woman and drink, even though I'm not in college.



I just never was a "school kid". Sitting in classes bores me. Everyone is different.

I thought I was the same way until I found subjects that interested me.

And I am not talking about flying.

Hate to be the guy who hammers this point, but there are and will continue to be a lot of companies in the flying business that WILL NOT hire you FULL STOP without a four-year college degree. And that's whether there's any rational justification for the practice or not.

I was in your seat less than ten years ago, and I'm thankful for my college experience - but for different reasons than those already cited. I had to work at least one (usually two) jobs all the way through college to cover living expenses, flight training, and the tuition not taken care of by a partial academic scholarship. Not much time for getting drunk and chasing tail, I'm afraid. Eventually, I was working in the office of a company that made great use of my combined abilities to fly airplanes, fix computers, and speak fluent Bureaucrat.

I left that job on good terms at the end of college to go fly in the regionals while finishing my classes online. Naturally, within a year after my graduation ceremony I got my very first furlough notice. As my fellows contemplated poverty and the walk of shame back to their parents' house, I had already arranged to go work with some of the friends I'd made at that last college job. For the next few years I used my position in the training and leasing pipeline to pick up short-term flying contracts in addition to a decent wage working in the office.

While most of my furloughed friends struggled until they were recalled to a company none of them had much love for in the first place, I'm debt free with dough in the bank, and I all but gave the furloughing airline the finger on my way to my current flying position - a cushy expat gig. It's a job I never could have landed without:
a) A four-year college degree, and
b) The connections and recommendations that came from snatching up every bit of non-flying work I could for most of my adult life, and exceeding my employers' expectations.

I'll be the first to point out that I'm a statistical anomaly, which is a polite way of saying I was lucky as Hell. But Cessna310, it's obvious from your already impressive body of work that you're mature, hardworking, and take this flying business very seriously. All the doors in the world are open to you right now. But if you focus solely on flying and don't fill the squares that so many employers want to see filled in this business, you'll see quite a few of those doors close sooner rather than later.


(tl;dr Get your Bachelor's Degree while keeping one foot in the working world)

You sound like a smart fella, OP. Good! Anyway, are you taking online college for a specific reason? I realize that an institution can be particularly expensive. Are you going to a community college to get your general education classes out of the way first? That's always a decent idea and could save you some money. Consider a college you might want to attend in the future, and investigate whether or not they will accept transfers from your community college. Also remember that out of state tuition can be very expensive. Either way, aim for getting a bachelor's - even if it takes you a while! And seriously consider going to the institution to study. College is a ton of fun - you meet a bunch of people and get into some crazy crap.