Should I leave school? - Need advise
 

Hello everyone,
I am a 16yr old male, that is extremely passionate about aviation and wants to be a pilot. I am doing well at school and are going into yr10 this year. With the pilot shortage at the moment, which is suppose to get worse. I have being thinking how important my VCE is to me, in regards to getting a job in Australia. Put it this way I don't want to waste time, if I don't need to. The only airline in Australia I know of that requires VCE is Qantas. That is my first question that I would like advise on. If I did leave High school I would hopefully get into the Rex cadetship, otherwise chip away as much as possible at my training funded by a part-time job. Considering if I don't complete VCE, there is the Maths/Physics equivalent at WA Aviation College. Which they say is regarded as a Qantas equivalent see here: http://www.waaviationcollege.com.au/...rsedetails.asp

At the end of the day Ill probably only want to work within Australia. If I ended up at Virgin Blue, Jetstar or Rex my dream has came true. If I end up at Qantas it would be just a bonus. The thing is I am really paranoid about becoming a pilot and I don't think, I could go another 3yrs without a dose of it. I have a severe case of the flying bug.
Could those out there please, give their opinion on all of this?

Thank you for reading.

Josh.

There is a time for schoolin' and a time for workin'. :)

Finish one before you think too seriously about the other.

Qantas is not the only carrier looking for acceptable levels of literacy and numeracy!!!

Tail Wheel

Mate, your determination is commendable.

Academics aside, a bit of life experience outside of aviation always helps. A couple of extra years at school is not going to make a lot of difference in the long run but the sporting, cultural and social interactions in school may just help make you a better balanced person and perhaps a better candidate for employment in the aviation world.

A couple extra years of schooling may have helped some pruners spelling skills too. :}

Hi Josh,

I'm sure you will receive many opinions about this mate, but here is mine.

I left school at the end of year 11 and I have regretted it hundreds of times since. I am now 38 and doing year 12 via bloody correspondence - which is much harder than doing it while you are young with a 'chalker & talker' up the front of the classroom guiding you through it.

Pilots will always be in demand, whether there is an oversupply or a shortage.

Without trying to make you feel bad in anyway at all, the composition of your question reveals that you still have to perfect your schooling a little. (Just my opinion and I'm not being a smart*rse.)

Why don't you start your PPL now, part time, and as you get older, if the bug still bites, work your way up to CPL/MECIR/IG3/ATPL? You are too young to hold a CPL right now anyway.

Cheers mate, I know you'll work it all out the best way for you.:ok:

ABX

Leave school now?

NO! Don't even consider it.

I would recommend staying at school and finishing year 12. It may seem a long way off now, but it will soon pass by very quickly. You are still young and have plenty of time. Once you have left school and enter the work force you will realise how grat school was for socialising.

Maybe start your flying training and when you have finished yr 12 really hook in and get all your flying done. You may decide later on that you dont want to be a pilot, and your yr 12 marks will be there to help follow a different path.

Good luck with it all.:ok:

OK, PAY ATTENTION!

FINISH HIGH SCHOOL - with the best grades you can reasonably muster.

Message ends.

Dr :8

LOL, Doc.

Army right?:ok:

Stay at school an finish what you started...and finish well...later on you'll regret leaving early if that is what you do.

On your school holidays (they are closed on weekends) you could work as a hangar rat for a GA maintenance facility and you might even get a little stick time from aircraft owners...or join a gliding club and learn to glide while you're still at school.

But stay at school!!!!

Speak to your careers adviser. I think you should stay at school. But if all you really want to do is fly planes then go for it. There would be no point to staying at school if your not going to put in the hard work and just fart around.:ugh:

There is no reason that, as previously suggested, you can't start your PPL now, part time between school and your job, and have it finished prior to finishing school. I would suggest that it is ESSENTIAL to FINISH SCHOOL. Enjoy the fun bit of flying on your weekends/days off. Ideally get a part time job at the airport- which will feed the bug. If you can't work at the airport no problem, make the most of the opportunity to gain life experience, which is possible in ANY job. You will ultimately be a better person for it, and also appreciate more what you do have when you become a career aviator, which you will if the drive is there. I know that it can be hard to see the relevance of some subject matter (been there - done that), but ultimately you will look back on school fondly as a simple existence when dodging around bad weather in the middle of the night in a cargo plane full of rubber dog@#%t out of Hong Kong. Believe it or not age is on your side, so enjoy. :)

STAY AT SCHOOL!

You only get one chance at schooling, so make the most of it.

It won't make you a better pilot but while the "top jobs" are in demand operators can be choosy.

"Should I leave school? - Need advise"

.... and for the record, that would be "advice" with a "c".

Repeat after me, "advice" (the noun) with a "c", and "advise" (the verb)with an "s" !

For example:

I advise you to pay attention to the good advice being given to you here!

Dr :8

FTDK..... you beat me to it! I cringed when I saw the title of this thread.

I agree with all the comments so far. You should definitely stay at school. Year 11 and 12 are generally the best years of your schooling life. You will certainly make life a little more difficult for yourself (inside and outside aviation) by not finishing Year 12. I can't imagine anything worse than you missing out on a job because you didn't complete Year 12.

I also disagree with mr. tos. You are better off farting around and at least getting that piece of paper than not finishing Year 12 at all.

Good advice.
 

There is a lot of good advice here.
Get as much education as you possibly can, and do it as well as you can.
One of the things a pilot has to do is communicate precisely and well, both verbally and in writing. He also has to understand complex systems, and some science. He needs people skills.
You can learn the skills necessary at school.
If you don't you will wish you had.
I wish you well.

Stay at school, without hesitation! I left in Year 10 and have always wished I'd stayed longer.

Just another thing. You may regret not finishing Year 12 but you will never regret finishing Year 12.

There are two things that may stop you from realising your dream. Cash and a medical.

Firstly, finding a good job may come a lot easier if you've finished Year 12. Secondly, if for whatever reason in five or ten years time you lose your medical. You can't fly and you're out of that career and may need to look elsewhere - Year 12 suddenly becomes critical.

If you are seriously contemplating leaving school to start a career as a pilot, go and get a class one medical first. Sure you'd be getting it early and you wont need it for a few years (possibly a waste of money) but at least you've eliminated the risk of you not being able to get a class one medical.

Hey mate, tail wheel sums it up nicely.

Young people are often so keen they often can't wait for time to pass.

School is good fun - its one of the best times of your life and you shouldn't get too concerned with decisions regarding your career you have another 44 years to sort that out.

There is only one year 12 and one muck up day and many girls to chase. So go to school, have fun and when the time comes roll those sleeves up and get cracking.

Enjoy - its a very exciting time.

P.S. if you don't get the best marks in the world then don't worry most pilots don't!