Originally Posted by
Okihara
Engineer here, in a field very much related to yours who graduated from a very highly ranked university with a reputation for making your life as a student a misery. My advice is, if you are of a curious nature and like going to the bottom of things, then roll up your sleeves, stick to it and finish your degree. By and large, these studies will bring out the best in you, will shape your analytical mindset and will challenge you in ways that most people will never experience. It'll equip you for life with the tool to solve in a structured way situations and problems that are ill-posed and with blurred boundaries. Seriously, enforce discipline on your brain while it is still somewhat elastic. You'll reap the rewards for many years to come.
Two more things:
1. I can't speak for everyone and I surely won't speak of everyone either when I say so, but while I find flying rather a technical activity, I often have trouble taking some pilots without technical education seriously. Everything can be explained rationally, flying is no different. My instructor showed the lift and drag formulas to me in a way that lacked so much understanding of the underlying physics that it's been making me doubt and challenge his every advice since. I'm not suggesting that every instructor should have a MS in aerodynamics but an engineering degree will definitely teach you to speak about science fluently with carefully chosen words.
2. The first and second years always stink. They're made to filter out those you came to the program without purpose nor drive from the others. It usually goes like this; every course will through heaps of work at you with impossible deadlines. Bite the dust, don't slack but stay ahead and keep your head above the water. Do this year in year out until you graduate. That's the only true learning.
My only mistake was to not take up flying while I was a student.
Excellent post.
To the OP, don’t make the mistake thinking your flight training will all be happy go lucky.
Without discipline you won’t see that through either.
You’ll need your degree to earn enough to be able to repay your flight training loans and still be able to have somewhat of a life.
Also 9-12, COVID 2.0 and all sorts of global economic shenanigans can delay your career.
Loss of medical requires a sturdy educational backup.