Accountancy or Commercial Pilot?

[Anderson8]

Ive always had a dream. That is to fly a commercial Airliner. (Im crazy i know)

Problems - My parents aren't rich and i cannot afford the training.

However i am soon to start University studying Accountancy and Finance which i know i will be very good at.

Now after the degree i am guarenteed a graduate job earning roughly £20,000 per year.

That will increase as i gain more experience. However i really want to fly.

Would you agree that i should gain experience as an accountant and then say when im 28/29 start training for a fATPL? I should have some money saved if i go modular?

And i will always have my degree in accountancy to fall back onto if i do not make it?

By the way, i am 18 and i am going to start flying lessons within the next month which go towards a PPL so im on the right track i think.

Opinions welcome.

Thanks

[Whirlygig]

Sounds like a reasonable plan - what I did/still doing, after all! :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[JohnRayner]

One of the more balanced gameplans I've read on here. Good for you!

In the absence of minted parents you're going to have to pay for the training with the sweat of your own brow, and as an accountant, that sweat will almost certainly be worth quite a bit by your late twenties!

Good luck :ok:

JR

[122.85]

A solid plan and similar to myself, although exchage Accountant for Telecomms Manager (although have married a Chartered Accountant so maybe it is same ;-) )

I would enjoy some PPL flying in the meantime to build up hours and make sure its still what you want to do in the future.

Good luck

[UAV689]

it sounds like a very good plan.

Make sure whilst your at uni you join a UAS or gliding club and start to learn to fly - and also get your leg over!

Accounts get the easiest ride from what i have seen of them, its always easier to count money than make it!

[JB007]

Ditto with all the above...

Also totally agree with 122.85, make sure you enjoy your PPL...lots of fun to be had...

Good luck.

[Blueskyrich]

Can only echo what others have said - a fair more balanced and reasonable plan compared to many on here.

Also, 'real-world' experience which you would gain working in other industries and areas can only work in your favour at such a time when you are going head-to-head against others in the great CV luckydip.

[quant]

Now after the degree i am guarenteed a graduate job earning roughly £20,000 per year.lol lol lol i don't want to put a "downer" on proceedings but your not guranteed anything. Also don't forget to factor in the student loan.

It's a solid plan and i hope it works our for you. My plan was similar (except i studied BSc physics and MSc Physics with maths) and i graduated during the 'good' years with an excellent degree so was able to command nearly £50k starting (countless internship experience helped me also).

My advice:

1) Get a 2i or above (a jeff hurst if possible - if i can do it you can too)
2) In the summer months don't do what most lazy ass students do and drink the whole summer away! := - get an internship
3) Try to graduate in the Black - i gave up drinking for 4 years (and eating mostly lol - explains why my ame always says i am underweight)
4) When you graduate with your accounting degree (depending where you go) you probably will be excempt from the some of the CIMA / ACCA exams make sure you get the rest done as early as possible so you're fully qualified.
5) When you're employed your first priority is to pay off any overdrafts and student loans (try to put £500 away for the SL). I put £1K away every month and was able to pay off my loan within a year.
6) Have fun but don't be afraid to tell you friends to sod off during your first 2 years of employment so you can save money to pay off loans. If you have to holiday @ home so be it. When you're back in the black save for training (by then we should be back to normal).

Really enjoying my ppl at the moment (not enjoying the exams though) :p

Good luck

:ok:

[JB007]

Also, 'real-world' experience which you would gain working in other industries and areas can only work in your favour at such a time when you are going head-to-head against others in the great CV luckydip.

So so true! Your life experience should put you ahead of some 19 year old 'Pay to Fly' type...and be far more interesting to spend a day to Sharm El Sheikh with...

[Whirlygig]

First time I've ever heard someone say they'd prefer to spend an evening chatting to an accountant :}

We are exciting people really. :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[docash1983]

Anderson8 (http://www.pprune.org/members/236170-anderson8) good for you mate, im in a similar position went to university did an LLB Law degree and am now about to qualify as a solicitor, work my backside off for a number of years and go modular.

Best of luck to you

Docash1983

[Aerouk]

Best of luck with it!

I done my LLB at University also and met a number of trainee accountants throughout my years of study who have landed some really nice jobs.

[Adios]

Not only should you get experience as an accountant, do it with an airline. Later on as a pilot, you'll have enough insight to see your redundancy coming before everyone else does!

[Gav28]

i gave up drinking for 4 years

Not sure that’s good advice, I couldn't think of a worse time to give up drinking than at university, its one period of time in your life where you can get drunk very cheaply!!

You can't go wrong with accountancy, I started off down that route after doing a maths degree, but ended up packing it in for a job in one of the city banks doing something quite different. If you are prudent and do get a half decent grad job in accountancy I reckon you'll have saved up the sufficient funds by about 25/26 rather than 28/29.

Good advice on the student loan though get that out of the way asap, however if you follow all quants advice I suspect you might go insane, I was what he refers to as a "lazy ass" student- never did me any harm.

[JohnRayner]

Not sure that’s good advice, I couldn't think of a worse time to give up drinking than at university, its one period of time in your life where you can get drunk very cheaply!!

Couldn't agree more! It's been ten years since I graduated :ooh: And I can still remember some of the more interesting outings now (when I were a lad etc. etc.)

There's always time for a pint. Some would argue that's what Uni is for

JR

[The_Pharoah]

okay here's my $0.02 worth.

I'm where you are at, but fast forward maybe 10-12 years in the future (I'm 32, group FC, earning >$150k, chartered accountant, blah blah blah) and I'm going to quit and start flying in Jan 2010.

However, if I could have gone back in time, I would have scrapped the accounting degree and gone straight into flying. Why? Accounting isn't the most exciting job in the world...its all about being overworked, underpaid and esp underappreciated by everyone (similar to low hour pilots I believe :}). If your dream (as is mine) is to fly, then friggin stop wasting time and go out and fly. Get your CPL + ME/CIR done and head out to the world to do what you want to do. by the time you're my age, you'll probably be the capt of a B763 or B738 or A3XX or something earning MORE than what I'm earning BUT doing something you love to do.

Have I made my point clear? :ok:

[TheBeak]

It's a good 'plan', we get the point - but it isn't full proof. There are plenty of newly qualified accountants out their from red brick unis without jobs too at the moment I can assure you. I know one with an ATPL and he has nothing to show from either. When you guys and girls all did things, just like with the flying, they were different.

If you want to be a pilot, be a pilot . If you want to be a pilot and run something on the side because there is only one way salaries are going in this industry then by all means do get a diverse trade to bolster it. Do not do it for a 'back up' plan though. There is nothing back up about it for the period you would be looking for a flying job. The cost of the degree negates any piddling pay difference and most companies will see that you have flying on your C.V. and ask you what your long term plan is before they invest time and money in you. So if you don't mind doing the accounting for a fair few years before starting the flying, then go for it. But knowing how people fall for flying and want to do it NOW, that will take some focus.

It is a change to see someone have some foresight on here, so good for you but really think about what you want out of life and do things for the RIGHT reasons.

Good Luck.

[quant]

Not sure that’s good advice, I couldn't think of a worse time to give up drinking than at university, its one period of time in your life where you can get drunk very cheaply!!

You can't go wrong with accountancy, I started off down that route after doing a maths degree, but ended up packing it in for a job in one of the city banks doing something quite different. If you are prudent and do get a half decent grad job in accountancy I reckon you'll have saved up the sufficient funds by about 25/26 rather than 28/29.

Good advice on the student loan though get that out of the way asap, however if you follow all quants advice I suspect you might go insane, I was what he refers to as a "lazy ass" student- never did me any harm.

I guess you must be one of those lazy ass students hey gav ;) I managed to quadruple my salary in 4 years without going mad thank you very much.

Oh yeah and Anderson:

8) Forget about relationships they cost!

right i'm off to work...

:ok:

[pia pium]

Hello,

I am somewhat older (early 40's) and perhaps in the job you so desire (long-haul widebody Captain). My advice to you if I may take a few moments of your time. Go with the Accountancy degree and always have that to fall back on at any stage in your life should you need it. You may never want to fly all your life and even maybe you might not remain medically fit to fly, so then you have another skill you could make a good living from.

Flying is a wonderful career and a reasonable living can be made from it. But the true flying is in an abbreviated story I will try to tell in as quick a way as I can.

Imagine the ppl pilot in his Cessna who see's the Seneca pilot coming into land and wishes for that next best more powerful aircraft to get his hands on. The Seneca pilot saw a King Air only an hour before and wished he could be flying that. The King Air saw the...F27 who saw the 737 who saw the 747 take-off at a large international airport and wished to one day to fly the 747. During the long-haul 747 flight through the night, the 747 crew saw the Space Shuttle zoom by overhead in space and thought that must be the ultimate flying job. Unbeknown to the 747 crew of course, a shuttle pilot was looking through a powerful telescope to earth and saw the ppl Cessna and thought, one day I will give all this up and get back to real flying and fly that Cessna again.

So the story is there to make us understand that no matter what you do it will never be the right thing, even in flying and I too would love to get back to fly around casually in that Cessna too. Unfortunately, I have to endure those many long hours awake through the night, bleary eyed and stuck in the aluminium tube because I have no other profession to fall back on. I now would never want to give up my love for flying, but I wish I had another career to fall back onto should I so choose. Then I could sleep in my own bed at night and fly for fun at the week-ends.

Those of us who fly have it in our blood, it's a desire that has to be fulfilled, but be a wise man and keep all your options open by getting your degree or I am sure you will always regret not having that back-up option which is there for you now.

Best of luck and remember, commercial pilot or private, you will be flying and your desire to fly will be fulfilled. Automation today has taken away the role of piloting and the autopilot is in control for all but the first and last 500 feet of the flight. The glamor days of flying has passed us by and modern aviation has become a tiresome challenge of rapid turn arounds in the low cost market or short lay overs and fatigue on long-haul. Should you get into commercial aviation in the future and realize my advice has come true and you wish to change back to Accountancy, be glad you did your degree.

Good luck.

[Thick Blue Line]

Not that i'm in his position but I couldnt agree more with Pia Plum's post, very well put.

The Beak suggests that going for an accountancy defgree is not fool proof, I think the simple fact is that nothing is fool proof at the moment.

Getting a degree is not fool proof and neither is going straight in to the job market - if it were me I'd do a combination of the two.

Anderson sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders, though!

[TheBeak]

That's the whole point, absolutely nothing is full proof, so doing a boring, expensive accountancy degree because you think it is going to be an element of 'the winning formula' is crazy. As soon as you think you have it sussed, something, guaranteed, will change everything.

I think the ideal situation for anybody of this age over the next five years is to be in education or, be it a mix of a degree and flying training or working with the public, facing customers, learning how to handle people (which to me is a far better education) and then flying training.

You do NOT need a degree, it isn't a back up plan. A back up for what? So you get a degree in law or accountancy and then do your flying training, it all goes really well and you come straight out with a job as a pilot aged 24 let's say. You fly for 14 years and then develop diabetes at the age of 38 and lose your medical. How the hell is that degree going to make a blind bit of difference to anything apart from having added to the debts in your life?

Do not over look the fact that with degrees like law and accountancy, you need experience within the industry which WILL delay your whole life for the sake of a 'back up plan'. Life is finite, don't waste it. The more experienced can answer this but I'd imagine the qualifications are also time expiring. If not, they should be!

It is a completely different story if you went about your life and became an accountant and then all of a sudden whilst driving home in your Ford Mondeo past Heathrow Airport, you felt a 777 shake you as it came over the threshold of runway 27L - You then have an epiphany that you are living to work and flying for a living is the only way to break this mind numbing boredom and mediocrity. (no offence to accountants, it is a respectable living:ok:)

They are two different stories with several similar elements. All I am really trying to say is DO THINGS FOR THE RIGHT REASON - really think about what I am saying.

[Whirlygig]

As I've said on another thread (I can't remember which :)), a degree in accountancy is NOT an accountancy qualification; that takes another three years (or more). A degree in accountancy is just a degree, like any other. The syllabus of most accountancy degrees that I've come across is actually very theoretical and, to be honest, airy-fairy; they don't deal with the nitty-gritty of tax, VAT, double-entry bookkeeping, ledgers and all the lovely stuff which I would like an accountant to know.

For information, the Chartered qualification is not time-expiring as long as you pay the annual subscription of £285 currently (see, it ain't just the CAA). This entitles you to ...er ... put ACA after your name. There are requirements to self-assess your continuing professional experience but you can be exenpted from this if you work outside the field.

To be honest, not much changes in real life finance - the principles remain largely unchanged.

If I had a choice (and I do recruit accountants) between a 22 year old with an accountancy degree and a 38 year old retired pilot who once held the ACA qualification, I'd go for the ex-ACA (all other things being equal). His or her information may be out of date but they would at least know where to look and be aware that somethings may have changed. The 22 year old would have to be trained in the workings of the real world.

If I had my time again (now, not 1983 when there were no women pilots), I'd have joined the RAF.

Cheers

Whirls