Online study
 

Due to the "spare time" I found myself with over the last few months, I started looking for courses that I could do online. There is an Advanced Diploma in Aviation advertised in the Pilot Jobs section of The Australian Federation of Airline Pilots website and offers recognition of prior learning for pilot quals (Sorry cant seem to post the link)
I ended up only having to do a couple of online study units (not too heavy) and RPL for the rest. I'm now using it to get a leg up in applications to a couple of universities for their Grad Cert / Grad Dip / Masters programs (contingency planning)!

Well done. Did you still have to pay the full AUD16000?

https://www.aviationaustralia.aero/a...ot-in-command/

Hi,
No, they only charge for the bits you do plus $500 for the RPL fee - they needed licence scans and a couple of logbook page scans etc for that. Then $1,000 each for the 2 online units = AU $2,500 all up.

For $2500 did you learn anything new and useful?

Maybe I’m an old fossil but I fail to see how collecting ever more grandiosely named diplomas in human factors and MCC can possibly make anyone more attractive to a future employer than they already are.

For my money, I’d seriously consider diversification when deciding how to invest time and money in upskilling..

I've started a course in online trolling.

Lucille - I agree.
I want to get into an MBA program and have applied for a couple but, even as a mature student with heaps of life experience, without any qualifications (other than my licences) = cannot. The Advanced Diploma will let me apply for entry into a Graduate Certificate of Aviation Management program - followed by a sideways move into a Graduate Diploma in Management and then on to an MBA.

Templar, excellent. Now, what you’re doing makes sense.👍

Thanks Oli777.
The OU offers direct entry as you say but only into undergraduate (bachelor) programs. Pretty much every university offers the same to mature students and these days almost all are offering online study options. The issue is that (perhaps aiming high) I was exploring ways of getting into an MBA which is a postgraduate course.
spoke to two universities and they both said they needed some evidence of formal study - I suppose they want to minimise dropouts. Leveraging flying experience and quals into a graduate certificate program seems to be a pathway into other (non aviation) degrees - including an MBA. I spoke to two universities and they both said they needed some evidence of formal study first.

https://www.hw.ac.uk/online/postgrad...nistration.htm

Remembering of course that MBA stands for ‘Master Bull**** Artist’...

Regardless of what you may think of the value of an MBA. One thing is for sure, an MBA from a well respected institution will open doors to high paying jobs outside of aviation.
Employers value the discipline, clarity of thought and analytical skills which those three letters prove that one has. The difficulty of completing an MBA at a renowned institution should never be under estimated.

Having a degree in a specialized field (like engineering) can help meet requirements of a potential employer and make a person look good on paper.

But any piece of paper is simply a piece of paper. It's the journey that counts.

The world is full of self-serving well educated fools. Who derive hubris from some type of certification which blinds them to the actual reality of life. If the idea is that you may look a bit more competitive (to do something you'd like to do in your life--potentially opening some doors) and do the task to better yourself and learn something useful it's a great idea.

Otherwise, the money might be better spent in a brothel.

I started with an aviation diploma and gained a bachelor of commerce. If you have never written a report in an academic style, going from zero to a graduate program will be a shock.

Just doing an aviation diploma will in no way prepare you for graduate level study.

Hope the following is of some use

At the uni I worked at in Australia ...

We would take people straight into post-grad study if you had 10 years ‘relevant’ work experience. A Dip or Adv Dip from a Tech College would take some years off that requirement.

A full-time Masters by coursework started with a Grad Cert, then Grad Dip then the Masters subjects (usually 4 subjects at each stage). MBA might have been 8 subjects at Masters level

RPL was a much more unusual process than for a Tech College - just about always offered alternative subjects rather than RPL

Aside from subject matter knowledge, the main things you should come away with are ‘generic’ skills applicable to ‘any’ domain:

• how to undertake research,
• how to present arguments (oral & written),
• critical thinking,
• analysis & synthesis of information,
• time management.

Writing: 5,000 or so well researched and written words per subject would be a fairly normal workload.

Reading: 200-500 pages per subject

Not everyone’s cup of tea but research can be addictive .....

Templar,
I too have started the MBA pathway in Australia. I don’t have a previous degree so looked for institutions that recognise professional work experience for x years as a substitute. I applied to one of the universities that fitted my criteria and the application was similar to a job interview. I’m in the graduate certificate stream at the moment and can continue on to the diploma followed by masters seamlessly.

As layman mentioned, it has been a big learning curve. I almost quit during my first subject, but persevered through it and am now on to my third subject. If you have interest in business then you’ll find it very educational, if not then I imagine it would be quite boring.

As you mentioned, pilots tend to **** on MBA graduates but it is a very useful qualification to have. I talked to many friends and family in the private sector and they mentioned that the MBA as a qualification is highly credentialed and recommended me down this path. In saying that, I’m under no illusion and that starting in another industry would likely mean starting at the bottom but hopefully it means getting a start and then working your way up.

Good luck with your studies and if you want more info, PM me.