College or Job?

[garywoodrow]

Hey, I'm just looking for some advice.

Currently im doing A-Level Double ICT (predicted A/B in both single & double), however i could not see myself doing a job in ICT because i find it very boring.

I currently have a job in Liverpool Airport working on the ramp and the money is pretty good, its part time due to college but if i went to full time i could be earning about 22k a year with a fair bit of overtime (which i dont mind because i love working there :8).

Would it be worth leaving college and going full time to raise the money for flight training or should i just stick out the last year of college?

Thanks for any tips or advice in advance, really cant make up my mind :suspect:.

Regards,
Gary

[Charles Abetz]

Ultimately the choice is up to you but my suggestion is to stick at your degree even if you don't use it because if you quit now it may haunt you for the rest of your life. (I have the same idea as you when I had one year to go on my degree) But I have stuck it out and I am very grateful as I have seen the bigger picture of what ICT is about.

[bishop99]

Hi,

I personally did my A-levels then pilot training, i would not of liked to go in training with any lower form of education, just because if the industry ever crashed then i would able to apply for a higher standard of job (outside aviation), or even go to university etc etc.

Id say finish your a-levels and leave the doors open because you never know.

All the best


*sorry if grammar isnt up to scratch*.

[Exhibitz]

This is a debate that is on-going and probably will do so long as a degree exists. Many people believe that it is a good idea to continue at university to get a degree to "fall back on" if you don't make it.

I personally did a heck of a lot of research on this topic, asking various commercial airline pilots, all of which said, if you know this is what you want to do, then go for it with time still on your side! If you are sure this is what you want to do no matter what, you won't want to give it up so your degree would be useless. Being one of the youngest to embark on a career in aviation is probably one of the best motivaters out there, you have got 3-5years + over everyone else to get into a scheme (presume you will go along sponsored route) unlike those who come out of uni, and really they will have to be hoping to get onto it immediatly and if not, probably will give up their ambition becoming a pilot because of the convienience of their degree and needing to pay back all those student loans!

Life experience is the one question that hangs over the whole decision, and will this effect you in interviews? The simple answer is no. They are looking for young passionate people who want to become pilots, I was re-assured when a pilot said to me "What more can one want to prove that you want this? You have just as much reason than anyone else if not more. You know what you want in life, and you want to embark on it as soon as possible, this shows enthuasiam that so many of these companies want over anything else nowadays."

I would suggest finishing your A-levels for sake of completion, and to prove that you can stick to something that you decided on, just be ready for the question "Why did you study IT if you wanted to persue a career in aviation?"
As for the university side of things (if you were considering it) you are taking a risk not going to university which proves that aviation really is your dream, and no matter what you're not going to give up, and you really have nothing to fall back on so it gives you the motivation to really give it your all!

Good luck whatever you decide to do!

Joe

[7E7Flyer]

I'd say too: stick it out! Get college done as quickly as you can (even if it means reducing your job). Then move on to flight training asap, try to get into a training scheme with an airline if you can.

However, be aware that a college/degrees won't help you much with getting an airline job. On the other hand it's good for your peace of mind should things go wrong (like lost medical), and remember that even with the so-called shortage of pilots there's never going to be a shortage of low-hour pilots fresh out of school. It can take several months or even years to land that first airline job. During that time, you can earn money using a degree.

[redsnail]

Finish your course. At your stage, completed courses look a lot better than incomplete ones.

Then, work for at least a year full time saving as much cash as possible. Then see how the industry is fairing before learning to fly full time or part time.

Good luck.