Test Pilot - can it be done "the other way round"?
Browsing through the FAQs and all the other good reading material in this forum, it always seems that the only route towards being a (civilian) test pilot is getting a degree FIRST and THEN going through flight training.
Can it be done the other way round - e.g. do you know of any airline pilots who decided at some point in their career that they want to go to university or obtain a degree through distance learning... and then went into test flying?
The reason I'm asking is that I've made it into Lufthansa's ab-initio ATPL scheme (Which is absolutely brilliant!). The trouble is, I COULD get a BEng in Aerospace Technology first, but that would mean an additional, unpaid 2 years of studying, loosing 2 years of seniority, risk of not getting the job in the end etc etc. Considering the current state of the industry, I'm not sure if it would be worth taking this risk. Unfortunately, being a test pilot is a personal dream (albeit a silly dream), that I don't want to give up entirely...
I hope you can see what I'm up to here - any infos from the pros here appreciated!
Thanks,
Holger