Originally Posted by
TeaTowel
I just don't want to see people who have degrees and have no-longer any interest in what they're in have advantages in life. It demonstrates an ability to to learn complex stuff yes, while also demonstrating the ability to fly the wrong heading and not admit, and then try and use it to ones advantage.
How could you possibly know that that would be the case? People change careers for all manner of reasons. They also merge careers and manage to make things work, in all manner of different professions. The majority of university students in the UK start around about age 18. How many people are absolutely clear on the path of their entire life at this age?
Plenty of folk I've spoken to, who have applied for sponsored schemes in the last couple of years, seriously considered self-sponsored flight training at some point in the past, but either considered it too much of a financial risk or weren't in a position to fund modular or secure a loan for integrated courses (either through their own income or family support). Getting in to another career in the meantime doesn't seem like an illogical thing to do.
Personally, I would only recently have been in a financial position to self-sponsor flying training, despite having wanted to do it for years. Others would have been able to do it an an earlier point. Either way, it's still far more of a gamble than a tagged/sponsored scheme.
The point being that studying or working in another area doesn't necessarily show any lack of passion for, or commitment to, aviation. In some cases it probably shows that they can take a measured view of the risks involved in different types of training schemes.