Degrees are not required or considered at EK...
And the fact that the degree that the US majors want you to have could in fact be a degree in 'Ancient Peruvian Basket-Weaving' never ceases to amaze me😳

Well if you have been mentoring him since 16 and he is 24 with no college and planning to be an airline pilot then you have been doing a piss poor mentoring job. Hahahah......just kidding lol. At 24 he needs to get some college done, lots of options in the US for online courses....git er done. Buzzing of to the desert is career cop out. Good luck though.

Edit to say....Henrydog....brilliant post.

I agree that he needs to get college done. I started mentoring him because his father (a police pilot) died in a helicopter crash. His college fund was dissolved by living expenses that were incurred before his fathers department started paying the family the fathers benefits. Alex then wanted to learn to fly, and so he's spent every penny he's earned to do so. For him, it was a choice of either flying or college, but not both. I can't say that I blame him for making the choice that he did. A pilot certificate will probably always find you a job. A college degree, maybe not.

Henrydog excellent post, pretty well describes it.
After more than two decades here, I still like my job, but the workload is simply ridiculous, constant tiredness with little time to recover and I am blessed to be on the Wonder Bus.
The one constant here is that everything gets worse, every year, in all aspects of job and lifestyle. So set your benchmark now and expect it to get worse, then you won't be disappointed.

Understood......the college requirement in the US is total BS but as it stands it's a dealbreaker for the majors. Hopefully that will change in time but hey....it's not everyone's ambition to fly for Delta or whoever. Good luck to Alex what ever choice he makes. Cheers

Sorry.

a College Degree is not BS. It shows you can set some goals and reach them on your own in a reasonable amount of time. This is a trait most employers find desirable. If you are from the US and do not wish to go to college, you are at a true disadvantage.

Alex would be better off learning how to weld, become an electrician, a plumber or learn how to frame a house then put together about 10 legal Mexicans framers who WILL work their tails off for you, if you treat them fairly.

Fly for fun.

Sorry TOGA,
It is BS,if the degree is in "Under Water Basket Weaving " that's just a degree for the sake of it.
Doesn't mean any great study took place. The UK is full of Kids with completely useless degrees, vast debt and no job, because of said degree.
If they said a degree in Maths, Science or something worth while then your talking. But a degree for a degrees sake no.

You have got to be kidding me.......if you have a degree it's got to be from The Trump University.

The US aren't the only nation to insist on degrees for pilots - Turkish, Air France and many others do too. It is an utter waste of time and money for most, and few graduates have relevant degrees in any career, never mind ours. It is only useful if you intend to move on from the line into some sort of niche, like technical, management, human factors and so on, and then only if you study a relevant degree. The only benefit for most graduate pilots is that it may have given them some useful life experience and maturity as opposed to starting a pilot career at 18, but some of those entering airlines at 20 can have an older head on their shoulders than many graduates - it is a highly individual thing and each should be taken on merit.

For some countries a degree is equivalent to finishing High School or 6th form in countries that have better education systems.

In the States the degree requirement isn't seen as bs, its just the way it is to get any decent, and possibly well paying job. The degree isn't especially hard to get, but its the closest thing we have to a gate to being 'upper class'. So for those outside of the US the degree requirement might seem like bs, but it isn't in the States and it won't be going away anytime soon for the desirable places to work.
-qf

Anyone who thinks a college degree is less advantageous - need to get acquainted with grade school statistics.

The numbers don't lie.

https://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm/

And it's funny when I chat to the 'no college' chest beaters - how fervent they are about their own going to college.

College degrees in the USA are like fliion (a$$holes). Everyone has one.

No one said a college degree is less advantageous, what ever that means. We all agree it is a requirement, the merits of which have been flogged to death. I fly with many first officers still up to their necks in debt paying off their history of art bachelors degree but that's the cost of a ticket to ride apparently.

Yup that's true - but on avg the a$$holes with a degree make twice as much as those that don't.

Them for apples

Back on topic - worst decision - no, on balance more positives than negatives when taken over the full period. Quick command a key plus.

Recent years have been tough.

But from a health perspective, staying may be a serious mistake.

I have been told United does not require a college degree - although it doesn't hurt to have one and a masters degree while you are at it...

While he works on his degree he could join a wholly owned regional (e.g. Envoy, Piedmont or PSA) that all offer flow through to AA mainline without a degree.

That being said if I were him I would join a wholly owned with the flow, and still knock out his degree to keep the options open so you're not forced to have the flow as the only option.

Google is your friend......! At none of these outfits a degree is listed as a requirement...!

Air France airline pilot : Air France - Corporate

http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-in...-questions-fqa

I went all the way on my education and have taken advantage of it on my business....., not so much on my aviation career, I haven't come across any situation during my time at the airlines in the US or elsewhere when a higher academic degree has been needed...., this here is a technical career, we are operators, we don't build the contraptions:=

Now back to the topic...., What on earth does that has to do with this thread?????

Wow Henry, Profound.

I feel EXACTLY the same way. Been here 15 years and left a national carrier to join EK. As you said, the first 10 years were great and then..........

I'm an optimist but honestly can't see things getting better. Not only for EK but in the industry as a whole. Looking at leaving this year and possibly doing something completely non aviation related. Just like you I was passionate about flying and growing up was all I ever wanted to do. I now find myself in my mid 40's and want to have nothing to do with aviation at all. I too need to go find my smile and I think we are all pretty much in the same boat. The only thing that separates us is varying states of denial.

Good luck to all. I think this year is going to be make or break for a lot of us.