In my opinion, if you want to be a professional pilot, go for pilot training. If you want to be an airline manager, go for the management MSc. Or, pursue an aeronautical engineering career.

But, right now, pick what you want to do with the next 5-10 years and throw everything into that. It's time to make a decision, not keep hedging your bets.

You are too young to worry about age.

Changes are possible later, but if you want to manage pilots, first be a very good pilot. If you want to manage engineers, first be a very good engineer. Going straight into a management degree is a route into business management, not functional management.

I have a BSc in Aeronautical Management (+Erasmus exchange experience) and a PPL and I am 22. I was thinking the same (doing a Msc in Cranfield) but then I realized it was better to go straight to my ATPLs (BGS) and working at the same time. You have got a uni degree, something that a lot of pilots don't have these days, so you are good enough!

I encourage you to carry on your pilot training modularly as you are young and you can get aviation experience which will be invaluable once you get your fATPL. By the way, BGS + PAT (Bournemouth)!

Regards.

Decided to take the job, got myself an apprenticeship(Electrician). I've gotten into the right company in terms of making money, for a first year I made quiet a bit! Can't say I've enjoyed it, it's awful work.

Apart from the money major skill sets you'll learn while working, from my brief time in college & General education you'd want to be doing a lot of stuff outside of your regular course to pick most of them up.
Becoming fully qualified is a key to succes now, the qualified guys were earning €1100 after tax a week!(that's max) mostly pulling out €800 was the norm. Putting in the work & hours all the same, not easy.. So what EI-Flyer said, it worked for him! And plenty of others. another 2 years and I'll be there money wise to start saving more!

Also: Keep and eye out for maintaince work as an apprentice, you'll have great joy finding a Jem job like that! (Not having to bust some serious On a site).

Advice
 

I'm new here and just wanted some advice on undertaking a degree.

I have recently been offered a place on the CTC Wings Integrated ATPL programme. I have completed my A-levels and have just attained a HNC in Mechanical Engineering through an apprenticeship scheme with an aerospace company. I intend to complete my PPL (A) before I embark on the CTC Wings programme (yet to be confirmed). I am concerned I may be at a disadvantage not having a degree. But I believe CTC Wing's have a good placement record even though there is no guarantee of a job. It would also depend on the time I come out of training and also the current climate in 18 months approx.

Would it be worthwhile doing the BSc Degree in Professional Aviation Pilot Practice? I am aware it is a significant cost along with the cost of training.

If you had two people with exactly the same qualities achieving the same % (no retakes) carrying out their ATPL exams and passing the different stages of flight training successfully. The only way you could differentiate these two individuals is through their personal/work experience and also their qualifications to date. I am assuming BA would lean towards the person with a degree obviously demonstrating the right aptitude/personal qualities.

Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you :ok:

Have you considered the CTC scheme which offers a degree alongside ATPL? Doing a degree in pilot studies prior to ATPL training is a waste of time IMHO, as much of the information is subsequently duplicated, it is at great expense, and having 'any old degree' does not say as much about you as having a specific degree in another field eg philosophy, engineering, mathematics etc. which shows there is more to you than just aeroplanes and that you are able to apply yourself to a far more rigorous academic standard.

A degree can also be a back up career if your career as a pilot doesn't work out straight away, or at all.

I really believe the Pro Pilot studies degree is a a degree invented by universities to satisfy demand by students, not industry, which seems like the tail wagging the dog to me, and airlines do not usually consider that a candidate with an ATPL and PPS is necessarily any better than an ATPL with any other degree. Ask yourself: do you think a degree in PPS will truly help you a) get a flying job, or b) get a non-flying job, or c) in life in general?

No it doesn't, it offers a "foundation degree", which is academically marginal, and of similar value to the old HNC. In fact I think I'd rate PPJD's HNC in mechanical engineering more highly, academically, than a BSc in "pilot practice".

Generally speaking, this is also untrue. Most degrees are just a stepping stone to gaining significant additional experience towards, maybe, eventually, a professional qualification. Also if you do a degree, and then a few years flying training - the bottom drops out of the flying job market again - you're competing for trainee positions against people who have just graduated and whose study skills and degree education are 2 years fresher.

Yes. Airlines want pilots: a few third world countries like the USA think that a degree matters, but don't care what in - but in Europe certainly nobody cares and want to know how good a pilot you are.

The situation tends to be like this - young man or woman wants to be a pilot, but needs a loan as they're too impatient to earn as they train slowly. Parents, who come from another era when degrees had very different significance, want their child to have a degree. So, the solution is a "pilot studies degree", that frees up loan money, child gets to fly, parents see a degree happening.

I was part of the team that puts one such together - but we went for the full RAeS accredited Aero-Eng degree, and embedded a PPL in it. I think that around two thirds of our graduates went to engineering careers, and about a third to professional flying training. But the concept of "backup" was not there and we didn't encourage it - they were getting a broad education, and heading to the career they wanted. I was quite open with those who had no interest in an engineering career however, that they were wasting my time and their money and should just clear off and get on a professional flying course. Most of them ignored me until after they'd graduated.

You can never say what an airline wants or is looking for because that can change as managers and/or policy changes and can even change according to who is interviewing you.

True, of-course, with absolutely any job in any profession. There's often a difference between what's in the paperwork, and what's going to be truly assessed in an interview.

For example - when I used to recruit PhD students in aeronautical engineering, I'd give the interviewees a model of a flexwing microlight and ask them to explain the flight mechanics. I knew jolly well they wouldn't have a clue - what I wanted to see was how well they could reason and explain their thinking when presented with a totally unexpected problem. I didn't actually care if they knew how a flexwing worked (in fact, I'd rather they didn't). But there's no way I could reasonably put that in the job spec.

Similarly, as you point out - on Monday the airline interviewer may regard graduates as jumped up little sods with an inflated opinion of their own worth, and dislikes them on principle, whilst on Tuesday it may be somebody else who has a degree, enjoyed it, and thinks that it makes him a better pilot and so prefers graduates. You just can't plan for that.

Basically, concentrate on being the best pilot you can be!

Hi GtE - you have put more meat on the bones of my limited understanding of the various schemes offered - I agree that a 'foundation degree' has limited worth, but if all you want is a BSc after your name, or a degree for degree's sake (and are considering Pro pilot studies to achieve this), the CTC scheme seems a more cost effective option; but one I don't think has much value or benefit in terms of producing better FOs than the regular ATPL. Maybe airlines would disagree but as a line Captain I am not convinced. (I don't actually recommend spending £50K just for some vanity letters after your name, btw!)

Degree for back-up; perhaps my wording was off but I didn't mean to imply that having a degree gives you instant access to an alternative career; but if you are after the 'Uni' experience then why not do something which will give you that alternative stepping stone to entry-level positions in another field if flying doesn't work out? If you do Pro Pilot Studies and don't fly then it is pretty much a waste of three years, isn't it? Whereas something like mathematics, journalism, engineering etc. could provide an alternative path.

get a degree, my advice : in accounting, MBA or IT eventually.
In my airline I work in management thanks to my degree (though, connections are more important).
If you need to climb the ladder you will need a master degree soon or late. It's impossible to learn such skills at this level (accounting or business) without diploma. Employers do not have time to teach you basics things.
I fly less but have more money and do not have to pay for working anymore (i make others pay now hihi).
pilot licence is... like a driving licence, you may lose, may have it revoked etc..

Hi everybody,

My name's Shujaa, first post here on the forum. I'm kind of stuck in a similar dilemna: I'm a British citizen currently residing in Pakistan, and currently studying the equivalent of A levels here (science subjects - no Mathematics).

My plan was till recently to complete my higher secondary education, and join CTC or OAA to do my fATPL / MPL. My parents are reluctant for me to enter this field, and become jobless after getting my fATPL due to the current job situation. They want me to continue in a medical university and go for my MBBS degree.

After reading this thread from top to bottom: I've concluded that it is useful to get a degree, for something to fall back on and for obvious experience reasons.

Now my queries: Will getting a degree in MBBS help me in finding a job if I choose to start my flying after uni?

And what about the degrees offers by CTC / OAA during your training? BSc Honours in Air Transport Management with Airline Pilot Training.

And if not, what else advice should I keep in mind?

Many many thanks

focus
 

You won't get a job in anything if you dither and dabble. MBBS entry is extremely competitive and will require straight As at GCE A levels. Also not everyone has the ability to be a pilot, and hard work will be necessary to complete training. Suggest you focus on ONE career. Getting your education and training finished will be challenging enough.

Uni Vs Flying
 

Hi There,
long time reader, first time poster here.
Basically, I decided I wanted to be a pilot around two years ago, whilst at college. I didn't have the funds (obviously) and wasn't in a position to have my parents put anything on the line to secure a loan so I decided to go to uni, get a degree to get a job to eventually get myself in a position to then apply for flight school. Also, It gives me a back up option if things go to pot.
I'm currently studying electrical engineering. I have always enjoyed electronics and technology and I'm just about to go into my first year exams. BUT, I've not enjoyed the course and i'm skeptical about the exams.
If I were to fail the year I'm thinking about risking it and just applying to a flight school. What I want to know is will it look bad on my part if I have to tell them I failed my first year at uni? Will it affect my chances at all?
Thank you all for your time :)

Mate you need to make up your mind Medicine or Flying they are two different professions. Not sure what you are doing in Pakistan after being a British Citizen.

Eager - you're replying to a 9 month old post. And there are loads of people with joint UK / Pakistani nationality: a relic of empire.

Gram - the first year of any engineering degree is horrible as they bring everybody up to the same standard in maths and engineering science. It gets a lot more fun after that. Working as an engineer is also a lot more fun than studying it.

If you want to be a pilot, learn to fly. There's a University Air Squadron attached to Sheffield, and I'm sure that there are gliding clubs and the like as well. Your student fees are massively greater than a PPL, which is the only sensible first step towards becoming a professional pilot. Doing a PPL will tell you if you have the motivation and aptitude: nothing else will.

Forget this nonsense about "applying to flight school", unless you're a complete halfwit, which you're not if you got into a Russell Group university, the only questions that'll be asked will be can you afford it, and can you pass a class 1 medical.

Talking of which, get a class 1 medical before you commit to anything else.

And don't discount the possibility of doing engineering for a living, whilst flying for fun.

Just for balance:
I come from the opposite side of the academic tracks to GtE but I couldn't agree more with his last few posts.
I would add that unless you are John Travolta you cannot buy the experience of commanding "heavy metal".
Most things in life are Risk v Benefit and Uni is a huge benefit. There is a risk attached however. I've always believed in terms of furthering your pilot career you should go for what you want and don't go for what you don't. The '74 oil crisis, 9/11, SARS and other events has taught me to go for it as soon as you can. There must be some who made the perfectly valid decision to go to Uni 3 years ago rather than immediately for the BA FPP. They are now, as they graduate,anxiously waiting to hear when and more importantly IF the FPP 16 will happen. They could have been jetting around in the P2 seat of an A320 by now.
No criticism intended,who knows what will happen in the future I just want to help people make logical decisions with as much evidence as possible.

Is uni -> graduate job the best way to get the required funds for ATPL training or is there a better way? I'm keeping in mind the 40K of student debt you'd have after graduating and also the 3/4 years of studying when you could be earning money instead.

Thanks

Probably not - train for a much needed skill like plumbing, cooking or building, and go that way if you don't really care about the degree subject and want an earner and fallback.

Advice appreciated from Pilots in the game
 

Hi All,


I am 30 and am considering a career change from a finance professional (Accountant) to a Pilot.


I have a few questions and would be grateful of any input:


1) I have applied for the Easyjet & Aer Lingus Cadet schemes however the chances of being accepted I appreciate are slim. With this, would it be a good or bad idea to fund the training myself?


2) If after paying out the best part of £80-£100k on training what are the realistic chances of getting a job and general career prospects?


3) What is the money like for new cadets and when does the money start improving?


4) And probably most importantly, would you recommend this career or stick to what I'm doing and complete the PPL for fun?


Many thanks in advance for you advice.

Do a PPL first Ryan, it'll answer most of your questions and either set you up for an amazing hobby, set you up for a future professional career, or show you that it's not for you. Whichever, it'll be money well spent.

What's this got to do with having a degree?

Hey everyone,
I got a similar situation. I'm currently studying for the frozen ATPL, I posses a CPL and an A320 type. Can't find a job though and its been a while. I'm also 21

I'm thinking to get a BS in air transport management from Emirates Aviation University, which would only require 1 year since I will be a frozen ATPL holder.

What do you guys think? Does anyone hold a similar degree that can tell me if its helpful? I know this wouldn't help me to get a pilot job..
Any advice is appreciated and thanks !

There was a useful study done on this recently to work out the difference in cost between going to uni and pilot training.

Degree vs pilot training - how do they compare

It was written by a pilot training school so is probably biased but I think it lays out the costs quite simply! Makes it seem like a no brainer if aviation is in your heart!

The article written by FTA is clearly just self promotion.....buyer beware...

While the airforces of the world do take in 18 year olds, they can choose just the best to start, then scrub 70% of those. The average prospective pilot needs to have a balanced personality and some other life experience can help. A degree from a good university will help build both maturity and technical knowledge...

Aviation studies at uni? (Kingston)
 

Hey guys, I'm 16 years old and have had a huge passion for flying for many years now and I'm solid sure that I want to persue it as a career. I've looked at some university degrees offering aviation studies like Herts but more specifically Kingston's Aviation studies. Although one thing isn't clear. How is someone studying in uni supposed to keep up with the payments of the ATPL training and Kingston hasn't specified if I must pay in addition to the 9 grand for tuition fees. I'm wondering if anyone can help me with this as someone who got their ATPL with a uni course. My other option is Aerospace Engineering. Should I go to Kingston and should I expect to pay more and around how much for the ATPL. My parents have literally NO money to lend me so will Kingston, or in fact, any university offer a reasonable payment scheme similar to a student loan repayment? Cheers.

Unless you have plenty of money, then university and an ATPL are out - it's one or the other. Average UK university costs are £10K course fees for domiciled students (up to £30k for foreign students) per year, with average living costs of £12pa (15 in London). So, a three year degree outside London is going to cost £66k or more, 4 years will be £88 or more. Then you can factor in the time for lost earnings at university, realistically £30k or more pa, depending on where you end up flying, and the three years less pension contributions and three years more of house price rises before you can consider your first buy... All for a degree you'll never need or use.

My 2 cents on this is simple - go to university if the job you want to do requires a university degree. IF it doesn't, don't go.

This doesn't change if you want to fly. IF all you're looking for is a job to pay for flying, seriously, learn a trade. If there's a job you'd like to do AS WELL as flying and you can't really decide, then maybe uni. All in all I don't think many people should be heading off to uni at 18.

When I was at school as others have said, everyone was going to uni, you were basically that dumb kid if you weren't at least applying. I had NO idea what I wanted to do, having become too tall to fly. I had a weekend job in macdonalds, and I'd got myself put in charge of kids parties, basically so I didn't have to work in the kitchen. It was easy and I was good at it, so I thought "eh I could probably be a teacher" when everyone was applying and off I went to spend 4 years becoming a teacher. Of the 30 people I really knew on my course, today 2 of them are actually teachers. Of my wife's 6 closest friends, only three work in the field they went to uni for 10 years later.

It's not the debt. If you live in the UK it doesn't really matter. Honestly by the time the government add another tax to your pay check, it's such a small payment you won't notice it. It's the time you waste.

If I could do it over, I'd have chosen electrician. Sure I don't think I'd have stuck with that either, but I'd have been a lot better off. Ultimately it took me 6 years out of university to find my passion other than flying - programming. If i'd known that 15 years ago, sure I'd have done that at university, but I didn't and really I shouldn't have gone.

Don't go to university for a fall back. Go to university to get the job you want. If you don't know what you want now, the student loans comany will still issue you a loan when you're older .... if you've not used one before.

What about interview if we are in university? They can refuse us because we are still at university? Like online student or thing like that?

Advice on gaining experience in the aviation industry-whilst saving for training
 

Hello,

I am an 18 year old fresh from completing A levels and have multiple options in terms of employment/Uni, Im looking for advice on what will benefit me most in achieving the ultimate goal of airline employment .

I currently hold two conditional places at Russell group Universities for Aerospace engineering .

I'm also in the process of applying to Ramp agent/Airfield operations jobs at multiple London airports . I understand these jobs are relatively low paid and will take longer to save the funds required to start training, but my question is will the experience in the aviation industry benefit me over a job in the city paying much more. Or will the other option benefit me more, being go to University, get an engineering degree and gain experience in the aviation industry that way .

Any help would be greatly appreciated .

If you're offered engineering at a decent uni then grab it with both hands I would suggest! You can save far quicker and get experience in a well paid field which would work well whilst you're job hunting after finishing training.

All my opinion of course - good luck :ok:

My own experience, I stopped school to help my family and I started working in a company before finishing my studies this year, I have now finished my studies (A-level) and will start a distance learning for university.
I have now money for my training to start this year. The experience I had at work helped me a lot in my choices. But it's not the same for you, I had to stop to help my parents. It was an obvious choice.

Thank you for the replies .

I will more than likely be going to University, however I would love to be able to start training in 4/5 years rather than in 8 .

What are people's opinions on Air Traffic Controlling for 5/6 years to save for flight training?

Air Traffic Controlling (if you go in via NATS) will involve being on a training wage for three years, money goes up quite a bit after that. Financially, I'd say it's better than a uni degree though that's if you're amongst the couple of percent of people that make it in and subsequently pass training. I'm also inclined to think they'll want you to stay for more than a couple of years. I don't know anything about the ATCO/SATCO route I'm afraid.

If you're looking at ramp jobs, take a look at platform jobs on the railway. At my place they earn £25k per year plus final salary pension plus loads of overtime opportunities. There's a bloke at my place who makes about £40k a year on the platforms, he does loads of overtime but if you want to save quickly, it's an option. You could also consider plumbing or something like that, I know a lad who did it for a few years, has a house (in London), spouse and kid at 25.

Thanks for the replies,
if I get the grades and make my offer I will go to University, if not I'll consider these suggestions .

Arena 33
As had been pointed out it is very difficult to get into NATS as a Trainee Air Traffic Controller. If you did I believe you are bonded to them for five years, however I do not know from which point that starts. Also be aware that you can be posted to any of their units not necessarily the unit of your choice.
Also be aware that if your OJTI's at the unit find out that you are only using them to become a pilot they may get a little bit p*ssed off!

If you want to be a pilot get the money to train as efficiently as you can. If you want to be an engineer get an engineering degree. If you want to be a test pilot do both.
Now Is a good time to train to fly it maybe a v different story in a few years time. I've worked with pilots with top class aero eng degrees and pilots with psychology degrees. All you need to know about aero eng to be a pilot is in DP Davies book "Handling the big jets". I've never seen a pilot use his eng degree ( except TP ) but I have seen pilots use their psychology degrees writing/presenting CRM courses.
Post 2015 legislation the house building industry have a variety of new regulations that require oversight. Get qualified in some of those and make hay whilst the sun shines. There are parallels with the aviation industry, its quick to get the quals and it pays well / hour. Conducting H and S evaluations/ inspections running your own company will give you life skills and experiences on a par with Uni.
Aero eng requires a lot of v hard work and over a full career as a pilot will cost you up to £500k in fees/loss of earnings ( yes I've done the maths with the BA longevity pay scales ).
I've asked dozens and dozens of uni educated pilots the question if they had their time again would they go to uni. It's 50/50. Of the 50% that would still go their reasoning is that the job market was poor at the time and they valued the experience.
If you want to go to uni then go,just do a logical risk assessment. At least you will have an answer to a pilot interview Q "tell us of a time when you've taken a risk". It's ironic to see candidates struggle at interview answering the risk question when their risk assessment strategy or lack of it is plastered all over their CV in the form of the biggest risk/ benefit decision of their lives thus far.
I'm not anti uni I've supported two kids through it. A good degree from a good uni is vital for a place on some of the grad schemes but a degree in accountancy may not be if you can get onto a fast track programme with one of the major firms post A level. I would question the usefulness of a degree in underwater basket weaving from a uni no ones ever heard of.

Like most of us I've been wanting to be a pilot since pretty much I was born. When I finished school my parents suggested me to enroll in a university to give me better chances of employment and to give me a backup plan in case something bad happens in the future. Let's not forget the pilot's market is very volatile and it can change any day, and also I can't guarantee I'll always be in good health.

I obviously didn't want to follow that path during that time, but I knew it was the right thing to do and now a few years have passed and I hold an engineering degree that gave me the job as a pilot I've always wanted on the first try whilst I've watched people (most of them being 18-19) being turned down for lacking experience. A few years to become the best version of yourself is definitely worth it if in the end you're going to get to your biggest dream, working as a pilot for 30-40 years on which you'll get plenty of flying hours, but this is just my opinion and personal experience.

Best of luck to you all!

If you want to become a pilot - just go and get your licences. Without them you are useless to a company.
University is therefore a waste of time and you will only end up 3 years or so behind your contemporaries.
But if you are unsure about flying for a living, you should reconsider the expense of obtaining a licence, and perhaps then university will give you some breathing space and other career options.

Personally I wouldn't be distracted by HE (Uni) if you want to become a pilot.


Most airlines are only asking for 5 GCSEs (most 16 year olds finish with 12 these days).


However some airlines have asked for degrees (Generation easyJet being one for preferred choice stream).


It is important you can demonstrate competency in maths and physics and ultimately this will be needed for ATPL GS.


I Lecture and instruct in a sim (B738). I lecture Aeronautical Engineering and my students have not found it an advantage on application. I do believe it makes you a better pilot though. Not necessarily immediately towards flying but understanding systems can help when problems occur, be them operational or fundamental aircraft failures. However this is sufficiently covered to do the job via ATPL GS.


In terms of paying Uni back. Well I finished ten years ago. I started Uni late after embarking on an ATPL that didn't go through. Anyway, I pay £200 p/m straight out of my top line. They will continue taking it until its settled. I did a 3 year BEng then a teaching qual/Masters. It's nowhere near £60k though because fees were IRO £3k pa at the time.


Not all pilots stay flying. Some go into management so a degree could help their.


I guess if you found yourself against one other and they couldn't decide who to offer the job too but you were degree qualified and the other one wasn't, they might consider you a safer option as you've demonstrated the ability to operate at that academic level and therefore are more likely to pass the course. Assuming you had a proper degree that is and not one in David Beckham studies or similar!

Viable to do pilot training and study at university at the same time?
 

Hey guys!
To be begin with, I'd like to apologise if similar questions have been asked to death but I still wanted some opinions thus here is this thread.

I'm a 17 year old who is a wannabe commercial pilot. Ever since seeing and stepping on my first plane (funnily enough a 747) when I 4 years old, I've wanted to become one. As my age (and title) suggests, I'm in my last year of secondary/high school (S6). I was never going to persuade my mother to allow me to skip university (I actually want a degree as well) and go straight for pilot training so I've managed to make a compromise with her (and myself).

I've applied to 5 universities (3 in England, 2 in Scotland) and if I end up going to Edinburgh university, I'm planning to carry out pilot training while studying in University which allows me to reach my dream sooner while satisfying my mother's requirement. I guess right now most of you are probably thinking about finance as this sounds like disaster, which is probably true if my case was different.
As a Scottish student, unlike my counterparts down south in England, I don't have to pay for tuition fees meaning I won't have to take out a loan for tuition, especially if I stay in Edinburgh as I'd be able to live at home and not pay for accommodation (parents work abroad and are away 8+ months so win/win situation for both my parents and I).
In terms of the fees for pilot training, from working part-time and saving, I've already saved the majority of the costs for PPL training so if I continued to work part-time and included my SAAS grant, I'd actually be able to pay about 70% for the rest of training (assumes total cost from zero to frozen is about £55K). I'd also have my student loan at my disposal (which have the benefits of only 1.5% interest ATM plus if I earn below the threshold, I don't have to "repay" meaning no glaring issues with debt) and would easily cover the other 30%.
In other words, apart from how I'll probably struggle to find the time to study, work part-time and do training, at least in terms of finance, I should be all good.

Okay, down to my questions:
1. What do you guys think of this plan? I feel like I'd be overworking myself as instead of the common full-time job+training, I'm planning to work part-time, study full-time and train, all at the same time. At least I'm an introvert so not having time to socialise does not bother me plus I hate partying as I despise loud places with lots of people.
2. Would airlines be bothered by how it took me 4+ years to complete training? Note: I'm planning to try to obtain my PPL during my summer holiday (starts 23rd May and ends sometime September) as I should be able to afford it by then.
3. What's a good flight school around central belt Scotland? I'm considering ACS as its less than a hour drive away whereas tayside is a little far and the rest doesn't seem to offer CPL training (but will be fine for PPL).

Thanks guys!

P.S. Sorry for the long post. I could have probably taken out some of the information but I wanted to show that at least financially, its viable from my perspective. Also, I know I can just save everything up and start training after my degree but as I'm stubborn, for no real reason, I don't want to do that...

Some university courses demand more study time than others. Even so you might find that university studying, plus part time work, plus ATPL ground school study to be too demanding on your time.
Assuming that you do get into university try to join the UAS, good quality instruction and free flying.