Commercial Aviation or Aviation Management??

[foxriderxr1]

Hey guys,

So I just wanted to get a few opinions on whether or not a major change is a good idea...

My goal is to be a commercial pilot and a air force guard/reserve pilot (im already enlisted in the air guard) and I do have an interest in business but not enough to make a career out of it unless for some tragic reason I couldn't fly.

So, as of right now I'm a comm. avit. major in 221 but I am thinking about switching to aviation management for a couple of reasons 1) It gives me a backup and some sort of background other than aviation because I will have essentially a business degree but at the same time go all the way through my multi-commercial. 2) It is cheaper for the simple fact that you wont have to go through CFI, CFII, & MEI which would be roughly 15K extra.

After I graduate I am hoping to get a commission/pilot slot in either the air force guard/reserves but that can sometimes take years because most people don’t get it on their first attempt so worst case scenario I don't get it and I have a aviation management degree with all my ratings and around 275TT. Would anyone hire me with that degree and time? Or would I have to then work on my CFI and become a flight instructor for a little while to build time?

Any help, tips, suggestions, or anything would be incredibly helpful!

Thanks again,

Lance

[TXaviator]

a) the degree is only marginally more "useful"

b) youll finish around 200 hours. NOT 275.

c) finding a job will be exceptionally difficult, if not impossible.



this is coming from someone who just went that route, so heed the warning.

[av8or91]

Switch now while you are not too deep into it. I wish I had done that but im 99 credits deep into commercial now and dont want to be in GFK too much longer

[foxriderxr1]

So, TXaviator, how come you decided to go that route vs. comm. avit?

[TXaviator]

Originally Posted by foxriderxr1

So, TXaviator, how come you decided to go that route vs. comm. avit?

well what had happend wuz....

i was a comm avit major, ran out of money/credit/ability to get more loans...finished my CPL, then left the university with a GENERAL STUDIES degree... then got damn lucky finding a job.

not advised. i think most of my hair is grey now.

[foxriderxr1]

Gotcha, sorry hear about the money thing, thats always tough. All the same though couldn't I just still switch to avit management and then later here at UND take CFI, CFII, and MEI if need be as electives or do it at an FBO after I graduate?

[BigRedFlyer]

Or you could be one of those idiots like me and do BOTH!

[BuickCFI]

Originally Posted by foxriderxr1

Gotcha, sorry hear about the money thing, thats always tough. All the same though couldn't I just still switch to avit management and then later here at UND take CFI, CFII, and MEI if need be as electives or do it at an FBO after I graduate?

yes, and that the recommended way. i think the days of a wet commercial and finding a job are gone

[JaceTheAce]

I majored in Aviation Management. It is a plain old Business degree with an emphasis in Aviation Management. It is a great degree that is a good foundation for starting an MBA program. However, I advise you to only choose the Avit Mgt degree if you are interested in the business, finance, accounting, strategic management, operations management, and marketing curricula. More importantly, I would recommend that you consider majoring in something completely disassociated from aviation and minoring in Professional Flight. If you are interested in accounting why not major in Accounting and minor in Professional Flight? Or major in Electrical Engineering and minor in Professional Flight... etcetera. There are many academic major options at UND that you can choose from without having to get raped ($$$) by the UND Aerospace department with a useless Commercial Aviation degree (no offense to those who chose this degree).

As it was said above, the days of the wet commercial RJ pilots are gone (but will probably return in some years to come), I was lucky to have gotten hired at a regional airline with 201TT and 33ME. Not that it is anything to brag about because they didn't care if I had 200 or 2000... they were hiring with a pulse.

The best advise you can get from us is major in a degree that will allow you to step into a successful alternative career if aviation does not work out for you. Better yet, use the non-aviation degree to start a side career that will (most likely) bring you more financial success and job stability that anything aviation can ever offer!