Aviation Courses
If anything, a degree gives you another 3 years to learn a little more about how the world operates, while at the same time having loads of fun and drinking plenty of p*ss.
I would have hated to go looking for my first flying job at age 18/19. I personally don't think I would have been ready for it, and I dare say a lot of employers would feel the same.
I did a degree in aviation, simply because I know that even if I can't fly for a living, I definitely want to be involved in this industry. Maybe it is a little specialised, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest.
Cheers,
TL
I would have hated to go looking for my first flying job at age 18/19. I personally don't think I would have been ready for it, and I dare say a lot of employers would feel the same.
I did a degree in aviation, simply because I know that even if I can't fly for a living, I definitely want to be involved in this industry. Maybe it is a little specialised, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest.
Cheers,
TL
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Susie
Another option available is to do an aviation degree, BUT take a second major in some other discipline at the same time, such as getting a business degree. This would mean a little extra work but would give you two choices at the end of the day.
Rgds
FB6876
Another option available is to do an aviation degree, BUT take a second major in some other discipline at the same time, such as getting a business degree. This would mean a little extra work but would give you two choices at the end of the day.
Rgds
FB6876
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Java
Been there done that
you can do anything, if you want it bad enough.
It doesnt come sitting on your bum, it takes a lot of hard work and it is out there if your prepaired to do it.
Been there done that
you can do anything, if you want it bad enough.
It doesnt come sitting on your bum, it takes a lot of hard work and it is out there if your prepaired to do it.
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Hi guys. I actually completed my degree in Aviation in New Zealand and it did take 3 years and a whole load of cash just to do it. And after all that, I have got a piece of paper framed. It does not help at all in GA unless you are looking for an office job in the aviation industry to fall back on if you are unable to pass your medical.
In this industry, i reckon experience is more important than reading books and passing ground exams which you will eventually not remember by the time you do get an airline job.
yours "still struggling to score a job"
In this industry, i reckon experience is more important than reading books and passing ground exams which you will eventually not remember by the time you do get an airline job.
yours "still struggling to score a job"
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Susie
If flyin' is your iintended vocation then do an aviation course - don't know too many medicos who studied vet science to treat humans. But then again - who knows?
If flyin' is your iintended vocation then do an aviation course - don't know too many medicos who studied vet science to treat humans. But then again - who knows?
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The key to all this is that if you are really serious about an airline job in a few years you have to think about what they are going to want down the track. An airline gets so many applications every day, they need something to thin out the stack. Eventually they raise the bar and ask for more such as degrees and diplomas. As someone earlier said (cleverly) that is what they are doing now around the world. Of course that is how it is going here.
Good luck and in relation to schools there are a lot of reputable companies around. What you need however is a good instructor which unfortunately is harder to find (sorry guys) but has more to do with the supply of good training than the school itself.
Sorry if that ruffles a few feathers but as an ex instructor Ive seen close up the standards of instructors slipping.
Just find somewhere you are comfortable with the environment and staff as you have to remember, this is supposed to be fun too!!!!!!! CA
Good luck and in relation to schools there are a lot of reputable companies around. What you need however is a good instructor which unfortunately is harder to find (sorry guys) but has more to do with the supply of good training than the school itself.
Sorry if that ruffles a few feathers but as an ex instructor Ive seen close up the standards of instructors slipping.
Just find somewhere you are comfortable with the environment and staff as you have to remember, this is supposed to be fun too!!!!!!! CA
Don Quixote Impersonator
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C.A. got it one.
You can be Hop Harrigan, Biggles and Jet Crash all rolled into one, but it wont show on your CV or mean a hill of beans to the clerk shuffling the them to present to the boss, if indeed they are not entered into a database and the results sorted that way against a baseline.
You gotta get on the radar.
Besides it is a fact, that when it gets to be that all the recruiters including that clerk have degrees, then guess what.
That day is at hand.
An airline gets so many applications every day, they need something to thin out the stack. Eventually they raise the bar and ask for more such as degrees and diplomas.
You gotta get on the radar.
Besides it is a fact, that when it gets to be that all the recruiters including that clerk have degrees, then guess what.
That day is at hand.
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A certain head of recruitment at a certain airline told me the other day - only do a degree if you want to, don't do it if you think it will help you get a job with our airline. You may be better off getting your licence quickly and finding a job to get the minimum experience requirements while the others are still doing their degree.
Question from a non-airline-type...
Wouldn't the "thinning out the stack" theory really only work up to a point?
If an airline (or whatever company) sets a minimum standard, then all those with the minimum standard get a look-in in the selection process. So, with QF for example, they do not require a degree, so everybody with the minimum qualifications gets looked at, including those without a degree. Then it comes down to flying experience and testing performance.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that you can be a PhD in Astrobloodyphysics, but this gives you no greater advantage of being looked at than someone satisfying the minimum educational qualifications. The significance of qualifications may come into effect if you are marginal in the testing and are avoiding being dropped off the bottom of the list.
Wouldn't the "thinning out the stack" theory really only work up to a point?
If an airline (or whatever company) sets a minimum standard, then all those with the minimum standard get a look-in in the selection process. So, with QF for example, they do not require a degree, so everybody with the minimum qualifications gets looked at, including those without a degree. Then it comes down to flying experience and testing performance.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that you can be a PhD in Astrobloodyphysics, but this gives you no greater advantage of being looked at than someone satisfying the minimum educational qualifications. The significance of qualifications may come into effect if you are marginal in the testing and are avoiding being dropped off the bottom of the list.
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they do not require a degree, so everybody with the minimum qualifications gets looked at, including those without a degree. Then it comes down to flying experience and testing performance.
Most carriers look at the bigger picture.
"Okay he is a good pilot, but what else can he/she offer us?"
If someone has a major in management then this person is multi-tasked. He/she can do more then just fly. Or maybe they are a good teacher and will become a check and training instructor later in their career.
A degree will just give you options, simple as that!
The more multi-tasked, the more attractive you are to a potential employer.
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TL, C.A., gaunty, Mount'in Man, hmm
Got it all in one! (Well, five anyway) Your posts sum up the most important factors about degrees...
mighty wings, and others, a degree is only what you make of it. University qualifications are only as good as what you work to achieve by the end. Having a 'piece of paper' should not be that aim!
I have a degree and consider it to have given me a lot (intellectually, professionally, and personally) - it certainly has not opened any doors directly... in fact, it has opened none! No airline in Australia will consider you more suitable as a pilot by simply having a degree. Degrees can often meet part of the minimum requirement for a position (in any industry), as is the case with many overseas airlines. However at the end of the day, it's how you are as a person - whether you're more suitable for the job than the next applicant. In aviation, having a 'piece of paper' will not give you that suitability - but the process in obtaining the degree itself can, because it's largely in those years where you develop the range of attributes that has the potential to give you that 'edge'. Time studying at University allows you to grow as a person (especially if you're straight out of school). So if you have an attitude that allows you to use your experiences and knowledge gained at University, there is a lot to gain.
On the subject of doing something other than Aviation to cover yourself if 'something' happens... do it if you want to. There was never anything other than aviation I would have been able to commit to for a number of years - so there was never really a choice. If I lose my medical, then it's off to AirServices and ATC... or Ground Handling... or Flight Planning... or overseas... there are other alternatives within Aviation!
Of course, it's a personal decision, and getting hours up immediately may be a better option for you as an individual. But remember, hours are not everything. It only opens the door - a degree might just help you walk through it.
Lancer
Got it all in one! (Well, five anyway) Your posts sum up the most important factors about degrees...
mighty wings, and others, a degree is only what you make of it. University qualifications are only as good as what you work to achieve by the end. Having a 'piece of paper' should not be that aim!
I have a degree and consider it to have given me a lot (intellectually, professionally, and personally) - it certainly has not opened any doors directly... in fact, it has opened none! No airline in Australia will consider you more suitable as a pilot by simply having a degree. Degrees can often meet part of the minimum requirement for a position (in any industry), as is the case with many overseas airlines. However at the end of the day, it's how you are as a person - whether you're more suitable for the job than the next applicant. In aviation, having a 'piece of paper' will not give you that suitability - but the process in obtaining the degree itself can, because it's largely in those years where you develop the range of attributes that has the potential to give you that 'edge'. Time studying at University allows you to grow as a person (especially if you're straight out of school). So if you have an attitude that allows you to use your experiences and knowledge gained at University, there is a lot to gain.
On the subject of doing something other than Aviation to cover yourself if 'something' happens... do it if you want to. There was never anything other than aviation I would have been able to commit to for a number of years - so there was never really a choice. If I lose my medical, then it's off to AirServices and ATC... or Ground Handling... or Flight Planning... or overseas... there are other alternatives within Aviation!
Of course, it's a personal decision, and getting hours up immediately may be a better option for you as an individual. But remember, hours are not everything. It only opens the door - a degree might just help you walk through it.
Lancer