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Should I leave school? - Need advise

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Should I leave school? - Need advise

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Old 21st Jan 2008, 08:27
  #21 (permalink)  
Train/Plane Spotter Muppet
 
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i would stick with school,

it keeps doors open,

besides, qantas requires minimum year12

hope this helps
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Old 21st Jan 2008, 09:45
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I'll give the same advice I got from a crew while standing between them on the flight deck of a Convair 440 circa 1958 "MAKE SURE YOU FINISH SCHOOL". Good luck and hope you have the same good fortune as I.
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Old 21st Jan 2008, 09:56
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finish school!!! and get the best mark you can. when i went for an interview for cadet program recently those on the panel were very concious of my UAI, they knew it to the .05 without even looking it up. a good mark at school isn't everything, but it's another tick against your name.

work casual jobs as well if you can cos when you're young (i am too!) and go for an interview where they ask you basically all behavioural questions you need to have lived and worked a little in the world outside of school to have an ok source of answers.
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Old 21st Jan 2008, 10:13
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Stay in school as long as you can and consider university. I don't want to upset you but your grammar needs some serious attention and you can't improve that with a job elsewhere.
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Old 21st Jan 2008, 10:19
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Don't you have to be 18 to hold a CPL anyway?
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Old 21st Jan 2008, 10:54
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Mate,

DO NOT LEAVE SCHOOL before you do your VCE/HSC/etc.

Let me repeat that in case you were not getting my drift:

DO NOT LEAVE SCHOOL before you do your VCE/HSC/etc.

A couple of years' more education at your end is the BEST investment you will ever make.

Personally I'd then go onto do an aviation-related degree (uni is a lot of fun) but that is something you can come back to if you're so motivated.

Yes there are lots of stories out there about penniless migrants starting with nought and ending up billionaires but for most of us, some bit of educational attainment is worth several times its weight in gold along the way.

And even if the Big Q is the only show who currently demands your VCE (and I'd be surprised if VB did not, also) - you're 16, so who knows where life will lead you over the next 30-40 years? And who knows what

Start flying now if you want - toddle off to your local aero club or AAFC Flight where you might be able to access flying camps, etc. You will have to pass many exams to get to ATPL and beyond so the exam practice you get in school will be no load to carry.

Put it this way (and I'm not saying that anyone who, for whatever reason, did not stay to year 12) - requiring a VCE/HSC etc. is a standard. Would you, as a passenger, like to fly on an airline which did not at least require its pilots to have achieved certain educational standards?

One more thing - don't just do the time for your last two years; try to do well. Give it your best. The application you show in that, will be to yourself - as in, when presented with a challenge, you can say to yourself, "I know I can do this".

You don't know where life will lead you. Take a couple of years at this end and give yourself the best preparation you can. Finish Year 12.

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Old 21st Jan 2008, 11:28
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Wwejosh,

finish year twelve mate.
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Old 21st Jan 2008, 21:52
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Just to reiterate what has been said... and if I was doing it again I would follow these steps.

STAY AT SCHOOL!!!!!!

ACTION 1: Get a casual job somewhere, anywhere, preferably one where you have to deal directly with customers.
REASON 1: You will learn valuable skills on dealing with people that you have no idea you are actually learning. You should also be able to put away a good amount of money (mind you you still need some to waste on your girlfrind/s) In fact give your parents 50% of your income to put away for you to spend only on flying (or more if you can - assuming you can trust your parents!!) This is so they only give it to you for flying lessons and not for underage drinking, crappy presents for the chick whose pants you are trying to get into etc.

ACTION 2: Get a class 1 medical
REASON 2: You will know that you don't have any pre exisiting conditions that will stop you from holding a Commercial Pilots Licence.

ACTION 3: Go to your local flying school and take a TIF with the money from your casual job.
REASON 3: You will quickly know if this is for you.

ACTION 4: Start the theory side of your licence.
REASON 4: If you can do school work and also get your theory done at the same time then you are showing that you can study and apply yourself to more than one thing at once. In my case I used my PPL and CPL study as a break from "boring" or "monotonous" Year 12 and Uni study. (I am not blowing my trumpet but I believe these breaks - whilst still studying helped me to achieve very high marks in Yr 12 so that I easily got into an Aeronautical Engineering degree, YMMV).

ACTION 5: Save as much money as you can and during school holidays do your training in blocks.
REASON 5: This is the most cost effective way as you won't need to revisit your previous lessons and you can progress very quickly. I did this and flew two, sometimes three flights a day and quickly achieved solo and GFPT on one break, PPL over Christmas break etc.

As has been said you cannot be issued with your CPL until your 18th birthday so there is absolutely no reason at all to leave school. And if you do the above few actions you will find you have developed skills, matured a little and are ahead as you only have to complete your CPL and you are off at the ripe age of 18.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Cheers
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 01:43
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Stay in School!

For what it is worth:
  • Stay in school and finish year 12 ,WELL!
  • Join Airforce cadets and get some cheap flying training under your belt
  • Get an after-school job to suport your habit
  • Think of your hourly pay in terms of flying hours (.1 or .2 etc)
  • Start studying your flying theory and put your school work into practical flying applications (then it all seems worthwhile)
and......Good Luck
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 02:37
  #30 (permalink)  
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finish yr 12 kiddo
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 02:49
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wwejosh

PM me with what part of Oz you live in.

Maybe we can arrange a lap with the Dr in the Forktailed Dr Killer (Bonanza V35B) to help your motivation to stay in school.

Cheers

Dr
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 02:57
  #32 (permalink)  
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I concur with previous posters. Stay at school and complete Year 12!!
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 03:05
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In my previous post I failed to mention why the copilot was insistant that I "finish school". My father met him in New Guinea in 1935 when he was flying the aircraft pictured below. When war broke out he returned to Australia to fly transport aircraft (DC-3). Following the war when licencing requirements changed he did not have the education (mathematics in particular) to be able to pass the exams. Even though he was probably the most senior man in the airline (Guinea Airways) he lived out his days in the copilots seat.

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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 03:19
  #34 (permalink)  
 
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Mate, stay in school as the other guys have said. The other thing to consider is that if you don't go to YR 12, you have no chance of being a pilot in the military. You need to have done advanced maths in YR10 to do the higher stuff in YR12.

I know you have stated that you want to fly for the airlines, but cash may get tight somewhere down the long road in aviation, and you may want the government to pay your way. It is a very rewarding career, and if you don't have YR 12 maths and science you have not got a chance. I know you can get waivers for education, but not very often.

As you have stated you want to get started flying, spend $100 and get yourself a flightsim, Fs2004 is good, and start getting a feel for what you want to do in your career.

good luck
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 03:38
  #35 (permalink)  
 
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Firstly, I need to commend the members of this forum for providing solid, unanimous advice to this young bloke.

Regardless of what you want to do, stay in school. I wanted desperately to leave, but the RAAF wouldn't have me, so I finished and have never regretted it. Year 12 was the most fun of all years and I remember it most warmly of all years. I know it doesn't feel that way at the moment because you've had enough and are itching to get behind the stick, but there's a long way to go.

No-one I know of has ever regretted finishing school, but there are several I know of that regret having not done so.

And if you're in the Melbourne area, PM me and we'll go do some laps in an A36 Bonanza!

OK, I know it doesn't have a forked tail, but in the absence of something sexier it's the best I can do.

Walrus
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 03:51
  #36 (permalink)  
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Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for taking some time to make a post in this thread, everyone’s advice has been taken onboard. I am extremely grateful to have access to this forum and be able to talk to people that are or have knowledge in the industry. Id just like to say a few things about where I am at. Firstly I have done a TIF about three weeks ago as a birthday present. Pretty much because it had reached boiling point for me and I just needed to be up there. Secondly I am currently In the process of looking for a job, hopefully becoming employed in the not so distant future. The last thing I will say is in regards to my work ethic. In anything I take up or do for that matter, I give it my 100% because that is just who I am. So in year 12 and 12 this would be no different.

After getting some silly thoughts out of my head I am going to do year 11 and 12, once again thanks everyone for helping me clear this up. I am so frustrated that I have to wait so long, I just want to be in the industry. Anyway I’m going to Tullamarine tomorrow night so that might help, but then again it could make it worse. Never the less I’ll have to sit tight and try and make the most of my remaining years at school.

Once again I am truly grateful for each and every response I have received.

Thank you
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 05:02
  #37 (permalink)  
 
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wise choice mate
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 05:36
  #38 (permalink)  
 
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Free ride with Walrus and the Dr ? I never got bribed to stay in school by ANYONE!

The Baffler

Last edited by baffler15; 23rd Jan 2008 at 00:07.
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 08:58
  #39 (permalink)  
 
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Do Year 11/12 , plenty of time to learn to fly.
Best get school out of the way first, not a fun way to spend your holidays from your flying job back at school doing abridged year 12 subjects, so you can get that jet job!!
Most management in GA in Australia do their management training by correspondence course, unfortunately some of them the lessons must get lost in the mail.
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Old 22nd Jan 2008, 09:37
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One more small point - a small poll: I am, in my family and friends, surrounded by current and retired aviation people - commercial pilots, a test pilot, military pilots, engineers, cabin crew, instructors, even some managerial types. Not one does not have their HSC/VCE or equivalent (ie. they all have that - they all finished year 12) and most have a university degree as well (some more than one).

Mate don't grow up too fast. Enjoy your youth. Get out there, get drunk, shg girls and be silly while you can get away with it. Life will catch up with you fast enough, don't go looking for it.
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