Have I Made The Right Decision?
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I'm in exactly the same position too, having just finished my A-Levels (Business, ICT & Spanish) I am desperate to get on the long ladder to my ATPL! (Maybe it will remain only a dream?)
I work near enough full time at Morrisons, passed my test a year ago and so far so good, no scrapes and she passed her MOT with flying colours. I am managing to put away around £300 per month into a savings account.
I have applied to the Aviation Academy at LBA to do a degree in Aviation Management and Operations. Perfect for me as I only live 20 miles away and my parents are willing to put up with me rent free.
I have two main paths that I am considering:
1) Stay at Morrisons full time (Circa £15k a year) and start my PPL ideally next summer.
2) Aviation Academy and hopefully come out with a degree and take up some job in an Airport or Airline. Get to know the set up more, make contacts etc, earn (hopefully) better money then Morrisons and in the not too distant future start flight training.
I would much prefer to do the second option but when im sat in a class room watching aircraft taking off I know the burning desire I have will become stronger and I will be thinking dam, those god dam beeps on the checkouts at morrisons = £ = PPL etc.
Its good to find other people in a similar position!
So what would you guys and gals do? Its quite depressing thinking that the nearest thing I am to flying is pretending i'm accelerating down a runway .... when i'm actually doing 70 in my corsa down the A1... I even got a Jet engine sound track CD for my birthday for the car ... my parents do know how to take the pi$$ quite well! 
I work near enough full time at Morrisons, passed my test a year ago and so far so good, no scrapes and she passed her MOT with flying colours. I am managing to put away around £300 per month into a savings account.
I have applied to the Aviation Academy at LBA to do a degree in Aviation Management and Operations. Perfect for me as I only live 20 miles away and my parents are willing to put up with me rent free.
I have two main paths that I am considering:
1) Stay at Morrisons full time (Circa £15k a year) and start my PPL ideally next summer.
2) Aviation Academy and hopefully come out with a degree and take up some job in an Airport or Airline. Get to know the set up more, make contacts etc, earn (hopefully) better money then Morrisons and in the not too distant future start flight training.
I would much prefer to do the second option but when im sat in a class room watching aircraft taking off I know the burning desire I have will become stronger and I will be thinking dam, those god dam beeps on the checkouts at morrisons = £ = PPL etc.
Its good to find other people in a similar position!
So what would you guys and gals do? Its quite depressing thinking that the nearest thing I am to flying is pretending i'm accelerating down a runway .... when i'm actually doing 70 in my corsa down the A1... I even got a Jet engine sound track CD for my birthday for the car ... my parents do know how to take the pi$$ quite well!
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Its a total 50/50 decision but i would say having a degree and starting later will probably work out better in the long run.
I used to do that in my fiesta, but i bought a 1.8 306 so i can imagine having a jet job and accelerating down the runway
I used to do that in my fiesta, but i bought a 1.8 306 so i can imagine having a jet job and accelerating down the runway
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If you have the ability and interest I would wholeheartely recommend going to Uni and getting a degree before flight training.
Yes you could working in a supermarket for those three years (at 15K per year), but you'll die of boredom after the first one. Yes a degree 'takes' three years of your money-earning life but (i) You can work part-time during university and full time during the holidays to keep the PPL going (ii) You'll probably not be stacking shelves and earn on average 25K asfter leaving: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/How_much_could_I_earn_/Salary_and_vacancy_FAQs__2_/What_is_the_average_graduate_starting_salary_/p!eaLXbeX
Plus you'll get a qualification that you can pull out for a back up career if something goes pear shaped along the line. Of course also there are the intangibles that have been mentioned in previous posts.
From my own personal experience, I thought I was grown up enough at 18 to give uni a miss and start working towards flight training. To cut a long story short, things got messy at home and I ended up going to uni after a year in work. After graduating I looked back on my experience to realize that at 18 I still had a great deal of maturing to do. I would have to say that my undergrad days were best days of my life (so far!) and I wouldn't take those years back for anything. At 18, you are mature enough to know the direction you want to go and are very driven, but because you are 18, you really haven't seen much of 'life' (I sound like an old man!). Three years at uni are really a good boot camp and the experience will help you both at the study and interview stage for a flying job.
Although most people say "do a subject you like" I would urge caution and get degree that you are interested in, but has a useful application afterwards. Don't do a flimsy 'hobby' degree (e.g. 'Rock music' or something), bit the bullet get yourself a firm technical degree (engineering, biotech etc etc). I say this because the people I know who did those mickey mouse degrees had fun and grew up over three years but are now back in the supermarket at 15K.
Just my opinion based on my personal experience!
Good luck with your choices,
Gareth.
Yes you could working in a supermarket for those three years (at 15K per year), but you'll die of boredom after the first one. Yes a degree 'takes' three years of your money-earning life but (i) You can work part-time during university and full time during the holidays to keep the PPL going (ii) You'll probably not be stacking shelves and earn on average 25K asfter leaving: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/How_much_could_I_earn_/Salary_and_vacancy_FAQs__2_/What_is_the_average_graduate_starting_salary_/p!eaLXbeX
Plus you'll get a qualification that you can pull out for a back up career if something goes pear shaped along the line. Of course also there are the intangibles that have been mentioned in previous posts.
From my own personal experience, I thought I was grown up enough at 18 to give uni a miss and start working towards flight training. To cut a long story short, things got messy at home and I ended up going to uni after a year in work. After graduating I looked back on my experience to realize that at 18 I still had a great deal of maturing to do. I would have to say that my undergrad days were best days of my life (so far!) and I wouldn't take those years back for anything. At 18, you are mature enough to know the direction you want to go and are very driven, but because you are 18, you really haven't seen much of 'life' (I sound like an old man!). Three years at uni are really a good boot camp and the experience will help you both at the study and interview stage for a flying job.
Although most people say "do a subject you like" I would urge caution and get degree that you are interested in, but has a useful application afterwards. Don't do a flimsy 'hobby' degree (e.g. 'Rock music' or something), bit the bullet get yourself a firm technical degree (engineering, biotech etc etc). I say this because the people I know who did those mickey mouse degrees had fun and grew up over three years but are now back in the supermarket at 15K.
Just my opinion based on my personal experience!
Good luck with your choices,
Gareth.
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A Change Of Plan
Thank you all so much for your responses I have great respect for the the people on this forum particularly this section, theres people who've done it and people on the way who you can share your stories with.
I would just like to let you all know that after a long discussion with my head of year and a careers adviser, and also taking advice from my parents and even you lot on here into consideration, I have chosen to accept the offers I recieved a few months ago from universities.
Hopefully I'm off to Salford in september to study aviation technology with pilot studies. I chose Salford purely because of the broadness of the course spec, yeah there is flying and yeah there is aircraft but there is also a lot of general engineering practises covered and in the last year there is a management and business module and also a massive enterprise project looking into airport operations at a local airport (Liverpool I think?) so there are loads of possibilities for provisional careers and also will help me with the ATPL.
I know it was a rather quick decision but its done now and to be honest I'm personally getting a lot more sleep at night now (well during the day when I'm back from work, even that'll be going soon) So thanks all again.
I would just like to let you all know that after a long discussion with my head of year and a careers adviser, and also taking advice from my parents and even you lot on here into consideration, I have chosen to accept the offers I recieved a few months ago from universities.
Hopefully I'm off to Salford in september to study aviation technology with pilot studies. I chose Salford purely because of the broadness of the course spec, yeah there is flying and yeah there is aircraft but there is also a lot of general engineering practises covered and in the last year there is a management and business module and also a massive enterprise project looking into airport operations at a local airport (Liverpool I think?) so there are loads of possibilities for provisional careers and also will help me with the ATPL.
I know it was a rather quick decision but its done now and to be honest I'm personally getting a lot more sleep at night now (well during the day when I'm back from work, even that'll be going soon) So thanks all again.
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GeorgEGNT you seem to have made that decision quickly, it was only 3 days ago when you first posted!
I hope all goes well, I can guarantee you will think about changing your mind in the coming weeks but stick at your decision if you really want Uni!
My mind changes (DID) week on week. when I first got told to apply for Uni by my 6th form, I did all the ucas crap and I was set on Uni and putting flying on hold, I then changed my mind.
GFUNC, well done for getting back into education, I think after I have been in work for a year I might want to apply to Uni to advance myself, but there would be one problem for me, I would not want to leave my home. I have a girlfriend! A car! I need to earn somehow and live rent free at home, so...! But as much as I could do a good uni degree here in Bradford or over in Leeds I just cant imagine going to Uni if im living at home, id have to move just fopr the experience and then I can only see myself using all the money I have saved this year rather than getting a loan! lol! Ill re asses this next year!
EGNMCharlie, how on earth are you on 15k at Morrissons having only just finished A levels!??????????
I live down the road from LBA, Ive looked into the aviation academy. It has a good set up but for me, all the pupils seemed abit gay! and It only taught (in the airline and airport ops) the same sort of stuff as what you could learn from working in the airport, although having that qual would get you in higer up quicker!
I hope all goes well, I can guarantee you will think about changing your mind in the coming weeks but stick at your decision if you really want Uni!
My mind changes (DID) week on week. when I first got told to apply for Uni by my 6th form, I did all the ucas crap and I was set on Uni and putting flying on hold, I then changed my mind.
GFUNC, well done for getting back into education, I think after I have been in work for a year I might want to apply to Uni to advance myself, but there would be one problem for me, I would not want to leave my home. I have a girlfriend! A car! I need to earn somehow and live rent free at home, so...! But as much as I could do a good uni degree here in Bradford or over in Leeds I just cant imagine going to Uni if im living at home, id have to move just fopr the experience and then I can only see myself using all the money I have saved this year rather than getting a loan! lol! Ill re asses this next year!
EGNMCharlie, how on earth are you on 15k at Morrissons having only just finished A levels!??????????
I live down the road from LBA, Ive looked into the aviation academy. It has a good set up but for me, all the pupils seemed abit gay! and It only taught (in the airline and airport ops) the same sort of stuff as what you could learn from working in the airport, although having that qual would get you in higer up quicker!
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there is a management and business module and also a massive enterprise project looking into airport operations at a local airport (Liverpool I think?)
Although Liverpool is only 20mins down the road.
Sam
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GeorgEGNT - only you can make the decisions, and only by what you think is right. Have a serious sit down with yourself, get a pen and paper out, look at ALL costs involved, and make some kind of gantt chart - but be true to yourself - give realistic time & budgets then add some. It hurts to be realistic - I know the feeling...you want it all now - but unless you have £70k+ for integrated you won't have it all for years (of hard work) to come.
I'm in a similar situation to you although just finished Uni - all today I’ve been helping my uni friends of 4 years move to a new flat in the city centre - tomorrow I’m heading home (different city) to start my modular dream - In the taxi home tonight was like going down memory lane - 4 years of memories - Uni has been the best time of my life and i wouldn't swap it for anything - its quite sad to leave it all behind....but I do so with an excellent classification, 1 years solid professional work experience (sandwich year), a graduate job sorted and loads of great friends...one might say the foundations of a nice backup plan.
I've been planning my strategy to fATPL for months and months (probably spent just as much time on here reading then doing my dissertation ) and know the feeling...you want it all now now now. Hell, it still pisses me off knowing that its gonna take me years - even on a graduate wage - but I couldn’t imagine doing it on anything less than that (BTW – your looking at more around the £16k-20k mark for a grad wage…just been realistic again). Ultimately you need a good balance between your salary to fund training and work experience/back up plan - whether you achieve this via uni or not that’s totally up to you – this site proves it can and has been done either way.
Good luck – if you want it enough you’ll get there. Just be patient. I'm just grateful i never decided to really 'go for it' before uni (the want it now feeling hurts).
P.s. Manchester airport is v. easily accessible from Salford - I should know
I'm in a similar situation to you although just finished Uni - all today I’ve been helping my uni friends of 4 years move to a new flat in the city centre - tomorrow I’m heading home (different city) to start my modular dream - In the taxi home tonight was like going down memory lane - 4 years of memories - Uni has been the best time of my life and i wouldn't swap it for anything - its quite sad to leave it all behind....but I do so with an excellent classification, 1 years solid professional work experience (sandwich year), a graduate job sorted and loads of great friends...one might say the foundations of a nice backup plan.
I've been planning my strategy to fATPL for months and months (probably spent just as much time on here reading then doing my dissertation ) and know the feeling...you want it all now now now. Hell, it still pisses me off knowing that its gonna take me years - even on a graduate wage - but I couldn’t imagine doing it on anything less than that (BTW – your looking at more around the £16k-20k mark for a grad wage…just been realistic again). Ultimately you need a good balance between your salary to fund training and work experience/back up plan - whether you achieve this via uni or not that’s totally up to you – this site proves it can and has been done either way.
Good luck – if you want it enough you’ll get there. Just be patient. I'm just grateful i never decided to really 'go for it' before uni (the want it now feeling hurts).
P.s. Manchester airport is v. easily accessible from Salford - I should know
Last edited by Shiver me timbers!; 29th Jun 2008 at 00:55.
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EGNMCharlie, how on earth are you on 15k at Morrissons having only just finished A levels!??????????
I live down the road from LBA, Ive looked into the aviation academy. It has a good set up but for me, all the pupils seemed abit gay! and It only taught (in the airline and airport ops) the same sort of stuff as what you could learn from working in the airport, although having that qual would get you in higer up quicker!
I know it was a rather quick decision
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"I was on £25k in my old job but take tax and living expenses from that and your left with enough to fly 1 hour a week as long as you clean the fleet at the weekend" - sparks fly high
I have to say that what you said is absolutely f***** ridiculous!
If what you were saying, at 18, you were on 25k then that is absolutely more than enough to fund a pilot training programme that would exceed 1 hour a week.
Either you were spending all your money on drink n drugs or burning it!!
Even with high living expenses, i find it impossible to believe you had any less than £1300 - £1400 a month free to spend on flying. either that or your parents are taking the real michael out of you!!
Lastly, I'd like to add, All you 18 yr olds responding to posts like this, please think before you post. advice is being given by pro pilots here that make a lot of sense. they have been there, perhaps you should be thinkin less about giving opinions on what you HAVENT achieved and rather ASK ADVICE of those who have!! This isnt to all the 18 yr olds, just a few
To the creator of this post, Well done, you seem sensible with your plan, mayb according to what the other guys are saying you should revise your plans on certain outgoings you can do with out.
Im doing it the same route as you. Im fully aware it could take me up to 10 yrs and thats fine. im saving 80% of my wages - that is due to major sacrifices - if you want it bad enough though, its what you gotta do.
I work at LGW in the terminal, and have a licence, had one for five yrs but havent got a car as its cheaper to get the train.
Goodluck buddy
JohnGV
I have to say that what you said is absolutely f***** ridiculous!
If what you were saying, at 18, you were on 25k then that is absolutely more than enough to fund a pilot training programme that would exceed 1 hour a week.
Either you were spending all your money on drink n drugs or burning it!!
Even with high living expenses, i find it impossible to believe you had any less than £1300 - £1400 a month free to spend on flying. either that or your parents are taking the real michael out of you!!
Lastly, I'd like to add, All you 18 yr olds responding to posts like this, please think before you post. advice is being given by pro pilots here that make a lot of sense. they have been there, perhaps you should be thinkin less about giving opinions on what you HAVENT achieved and rather ASK ADVICE of those who have!! This isnt to all the 18 yr olds, just a few
To the creator of this post, Well done, you seem sensible with your plan, mayb according to what the other guys are saying you should revise your plans on certain outgoings you can do with out.
Im doing it the same route as you. Im fully aware it could take me up to 10 yrs and thats fine. im saving 80% of my wages - that is due to major sacrifices - if you want it bad enough though, its what you gotta do.
I work at LGW in the terminal, and have a licence, had one for five yrs but havent got a car as its cheaper to get the train.
Goodluck buddy
JohnGV
