The Think Tank
 

My advise is hour build while at university.. but for goodness sake dont do a degree related to aircraft or aviation... Do something different togive yourself a real back-up plan!!!!!

I did mechanical engineering, (BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE)... Trust me go to university,esp now in the current climate... Your also v.young to be entertaining the idea of ATPL's without some sort of experience in some other field!!!

Anyone that doesnt agree must be mad in the head I reckon....!!!

All the best :ok:

Don't go to uni - fly. By the time you have got everything done a couple of years will have passed. Then instruct for a couple of years and by that time the job market will be on the way up.

Do a degree if you loose you medical. Then you will be motivated where as at present you piss it up the wall as you would rather be flying. And your 2:2 from Derby university will be equal with every other "Blairs Britain of medicoracy" graduate and not be worth the paper it written on. You will also have too much student debt to fly.

Mickey Kayne thats pretty **** advice in this climate... Before this current economic climate It was a fair argument whether to go to uni or not, however, in the situation now it even more important now to have a proper backup plan, and with universities handing out degrees these days in every subject (next it will be hairdressing)...then how the :mad: is someone with just A-levels supposed to get a job!!!! (outside of stacking shelves in Tescos which sure as hell wont pay for flying)

I want to do flying as much as the next guy, I went to university and got a 2:1 in mec engineering, and had a hell of a time!!! If you have the capability then use it and go to university.....

An instructor's job to pay of the loan used to learn to fly... LMAO... :D
ppl's are starting to dry up....

Dont be silly... To do a degree you'll have to do something worth while like as you say enigneering.., not some donkey degree which is as Mickey says 'not worth the paper it is written on''

Mickey--- The lad is only 17, and you telling him to go and do a job with a lot of reponsibility and only allows him 25 paid holiday days off in a year... his life will pass him by and he wont even realise it!!!!!!!! HSBC wont even look at givin a loan to someone without a degree,, been speaking to them and that seems like the mood... BA wont look at low houred self sponsored pilots without at least a 2:2....

Think you need to think on the situation an weigh up what suits you!!! Dont jump straight into flying.... many or not!!! REad the 'Be Realistic' thread...

p.s Mickey he looses his medical at say 38 and has a family, then do you really think he will go bk to uni, to do at least a four year course, support his family at the same time, and since he will be a matur student at that stage, then he will be entitiled to pay every thing,, no such thing as a student loan then boyo!!!!

I think your having a laugh!!!!!

Incorrect; all you need is 5 GCSEs at C or above.

is that not for direct entry pilot. I was was talking about Cadets , dont even know if they still do that or not!!! was a while ago,

presides cnt really see too many pilots going into BA with just 5 GCSE's

Yes for cadets. BA dont care about academic qualifications. Can u fly a plane? Can u be a leader & work in a team? There have been cadets from FTE/OAA without Alevels getting in.

Why do people insist that a degree is a good back up plan. It's isnt. Please stop advising people to go off to uni, rack up 10,000s of pounds of debt, do a degree is something less than useless, when all they want to do is go and fly a shiny jet. They will learn soon enough about debt when they start flight training.
Seriously, you have a shelf life of barely 18 months on a freshly issued degree in which time you have to go and get a job related to the field of study. After that, if you don't have secured yourself on some graduate scheme, you may as well kiss goodbye to your degree. Case in point, I did an mechanical engineering degree 13 years ago, do you think that I could apply to "Spods Widgits and Co" in Ipswich as a graduate engineer? I'm sure the interview would be short and blunt. Do you think I remember anything from my degree that isn't related to women or alcohol. No. Its like flying, if you don't keep current, be that in engineering, architecture or medicine, you lose your skills. If I lose my medical or get turfed out of my airline in the next week, I don't have a backup plan and my degree (if I could find it) is worthless, as are my A and O Levels. Don't saddle yourself with extra debt for no reason.

My advice to the original poster is to get yourself a trade that you can use to fall back on. Plumber, sparky or brickie are all apprenticeships that can lead to a decent standard of living after a few years, with no associated debt. I know one pilot who's backup plan is to drive HGV lorries, it's a simple qualification that requires no renewal, barely any medical restrictions and if you're prepared to work, can provide a very good income.

If you want to be an engineer first, then go and do it. It's a reasonably well paid job which isn't a ballache to get into, and will definitely help you for your first job. My old company would have bitten off your hand if you came for an FO's job with a full engineering ticket as well. Having a B1 engineer rated first officer whilst down route somewhere is alot more useful that a bog standard FO.

Getting a degrees is not the holy grail for wannabes.

Gushoneybum!!!

"""Please stop advising people to go off to uni, rack up 10,000s of pounds of debt"""

Jes what university did you go to.....lol... you musta got ripped off rightly... it only cost me £11k inc fees....

Got a job within two weeks of graduating and it wasnt a graduate scheme either, just a plain normal composite engineering job within an aerospace company!!!!... did you not send out CV's when you graduated.....

p.s do you not think a spark would loose his skills to if he stopped for a while!!!!!

A degree is always money in the bag!!!! a good piece of paper... it sums you up if you cant even find it doesnt it!!!! I wouldnt take advice from someone that through their degree in a corner and forgot about it thats for sure!!!!

You can do a degree part time through the OU should you wish. Gordie will even help pay for some/all of it, so long as you plan to complete within 6 years and earn less than £30k a year. See here for more details:

Financial Assistance

N.B. You don't have to pay back the course fee grants.

mmm.. sounds good, must be a catch somewhere...

presides alot of long nights after work hittin the books again.... jes was hard enough doing it full time...lol....

cousin did the OU, fair play, but sounds like way to much commitment!!!!

good idea though!!!

I'm not having any of this...

Now I don't know as much about this as the previous replies do, but I'm appalled at the somewhat forceful nature of the posts by 'Celtic Pilot.'

To put this thread into perspective (although I'm sure you're able to yourself) there has been only one reply supporting university education, two replies in the 'non-uni' corner and one reply which has come up with a solution to cleverly mix both. It all just seems so biased when I read it.

Time to go...
But I think I know who's going to reply next...[Edit...Wrong!]

don't_ask

For people who are academically bright, it is and remains strong advice. My degree has stood me in good stead for years, gave me access to the UAS, and is still of relevance.

For those who are not capable of passing a degree at a good university, it is not worth it. Wannabes should take advice from those who have actually experienced life in a university, not from those who live on conjecture and rumour.