Working full time and attending school?

superstallion6113 · November 16, 2012

Has anyone here taken on the large task of working a full time 2nd shift job, and attended flight training/college at about a 3/4 time/7-8 credits or so per semester student? I have a good shot at working as a flight line inspector for Boeing in Mesa, AZ, and I'll be looking at cutting back slightly on school but not much, if im offered the job. My only big worry is fatigue and its effect on ADM. Ive worked two jobs in the past at various times. It hasn't been an issue for me working long hours in the past, but I wasn't flying helicopters either, I was fixing them. I'll take summer semesters off flight school because my school crams too much in during the summer to swing a job on the side. I plan on only doing ground and flight school during spring/fall semesters, and academic cohort classes on summer semesters, and graduate a little later than most students in the program.

Has anyone here done this? How did it go? Did you feel school took away from your focus at work, or vice versa? Would you suffer through it again? General options on the idea?

Edited November 17, 2012 by superstallion6113

JCM5 · November 16, 2012

My experience:

I'm a full time student at UW (15 credits per quarter) and work a part-time paid internship in a corporate office.

I also have a number of obligations outside of work and school that take up my time, and I am ultimately left with limited windows with which to get my flight training in, be it flight time or ground study. I still fly at least 3 times a week generally, sometimes more if I stack flights on weekends.

Considering I aspire to be a CFII and ultimately fly for a living, it can be frustrating - weekends are completely devoted to flight training....every now and then I can get out of work or skip class to fly during the week, but it's not consistent. Factor in unpredictable Fall/Winter weather in the Pacific North West and the frustration can be compounded, especially when trying to build instrument time.

Social life is eliminated...necessary sacrifice.

Alas...I work as hard as I can, fly as often as I can, and study as much as I can. I will be done with school in June, and at the point will ditch my internship and get a job working nights (most likely serving tables somewhere) while I finish flight training and eventually transition to CFI. At that point, I'll be able to fly everyday and can focus 90% of my energy on flying and ground study.

I make sure to get plenty of sleep and I workout regularly. I am never fatigued when I go fly. I don't intend on using my academic major, so it's a bit of a nuisance to me since it takes away from flight time - but I am committed to getting my degree anyways and it will be over before I know it. I am only 27 - still young, and I do my best not to feel like I am in a rush to get my ratings. The flight time will come, and I am more concerned with focusing on becoming a good pilot than rushing to get hired somewhere.

tl;dr: It might be a PITA to study and work while getting rated, but it's definitely possible.

rotormandan · November 17, 2012

I didn't have the college part of school. Just flight school. I worked nights 40-50 hrs/week as a busser/ cook at a pizza kitchen/brewery. I flew 5 days a week and used weekends to catch up on ground school and work. I took a week or two of here and there to keep up with ground. I was only 22 so I didn't need much $ to live with and I basically lived of pizza and beer at my work. I was able to get through flight school in 1 year and a half.

Edited November 17, 2012 by rotormandan

Rotortramp · November 17, 2012

Has anyone here taken on the large task of working a full time 2nd shift job, and attended flight training/college at about a 3/4 time/7-8 credits or so per semester student? I have a good shot at working as a flight line inspector for Boeing in Mesa, AZ, and I'll be looking at cutting back slightly on school but not much, if im offered the job. My only big worry is fatigue and its effect on ADM. Ive wirked two jobs in the past at carious times. It hasn't been an issue for me working long hours in the past, but I wasn't flying helicopters either, I was fixing them. I'll take summer semesters off flight school because my school crams too much in during the summer to swing a job on the side. I plan on only doing ground and flight school during spring/fall semesters, and academic cohort classes on summer semesters, and graduate a little later than most students in the program.

Has anyone here done this? How did it go? Did you feel school took away from your focus at work, or vice versa? Would you suffer through it again? General options on the idea?

Stay in school.

heloidaho · November 17, 2012

It is possible. Just be wary of getting burned out. I was doing full time work, full time school, plus flying and it was a tad too much for me. If I would have been more realistic and dropped back to 2 classes vs. 4 classes, it would have been more sustainable.

Ultimately it depends on you. Some people can handle a schedule that is all work at all hours and grind it out. Other people, like me, aren't able to handle it and stay sane. I'd just make sure you weren't going over your personal limits to the point where you start having crummy performance at school, while flying, or at work.

More money and less debt always seems to provide more options in the long run, even if it pushes your education back slightly.

superstallion6113 · November 17, 2012

Stay in school.

Lol. Freakin iPhone keypad. I type way to fast on my iPhone. I need to edit in my Mac, but I'm not at home.

More money and less debt always seems to provide more options in the long run, even if it pushes your education back slightly.

Exactly why I'm trying this route.

Edited November 17, 2012 by superstallion6113

ridethisbike · November 17, 2012

I thought you had that contract in Afghanistan. What happened?

Fred0311 · November 17, 2012

I was working 40-50 hours a week and 13 credit hours of classes and my flying didn't suffer but my classroom work did. Schools my priority so I cut back my hours and am doing fine now. Part time work and the gi bill gets me by fine but if you have more financial obligations than I do maybe a slower pace of school is the answer.

superstallion6113 · November 17, 2012

I thought you had that contract in Afghanistan. What happened?

My security clearance is being slow to be renewed by OPM. It's in the cards, hopefully be done within 3 weeks and on my way, but Boeing is a back up plan if this takes too much longer.

michaels214 · November 17, 2012

Nice a UW guy! I just moved back to hawaii last year but I spend 7 years in Seattle - the last 3 of which were in the u-district. I was a bartender at shultzys for 2 years before i moved back, Im sure youve been there!

Im currently trying to get 1-2 nights of bartending or serving. I quit my other job bartending in a hotel a couple months ago to start training. Im in full time, flying 5 days a week and 10 hours of ground work a week, and maybe its just because of so much new information with the private license, but i couldnt imagine working more than a couple nights a week at the moment cause im studying so much. Plus, every other weekend I bring my 6 year old son over to my house so I study for shorter amounts of time when hes here.

I really respect some of you guys who worked so much through training..I can, and have, sacraficed a big part of my social life - except making time and efforts towards my girlfriend and son, which I wont sacrafice.

avbug · November 17, 2012

School is nice, but work pays the bills.

Cut back to less hours in school, take the job, and you can do both. I've carried a half-time load while working 1-2 (sometimes 3) jobs. It can be done. It's not fun, and there's zero free time, but it can be done.

Distance learning will offer flexibility and will work out a lot better than sitting in a classroom.

Spike · November 17, 2012

"Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education."

-Bertrand Russell

“I wanted to go to college but I was too busy learning”

-Ted Nugent

No Offense from a working stiff who is sending his kids to college......

Lindsey · November 17, 2012

I was working full time fueling at an FBO, going to school more than full-time (20-25 credits per quarter, i.e. 4-5 classes) trying to wrap up my degree a year early (also UW by the way), and starting flight school. To put it simply, it was exhausting. The problem was that flight school was leaps and bounds more interesting than my college classes, and my GPA suffered as a result. It's not an ideal situation by any means, but I did still end up graduating almost a year early.

Would I do it again? Probably, yes. I would just recognize that college still needs to be the focus and flight school is the secondary activity. Adjust your studying accordingly. You don't get a GPA in flight school, so taking a little longer to get through, say, your PPL is no big deal.

Other options would be to take as many online classes as you can. Not being physically in class will significantly detract from your level of exhaustion, and most online courses are somewhat self-paced (i.e. everything due on a Monday), so it frees you up more to plan for the week and maximize rest.

superstallion6113 · November 17, 2012

I was working full time fueling at an FBO, going to school more than full-time (20-25 credits per quarter, i.e. 4-5 classes) trying to wrap up my degree a year early (also UW by the way), and starting flight school. To put it simply, it was exhausting. The problem was that flight school was leaps and bounds more interesting than my college classes, and my GPA suffered as a result. It's not an ideal situation by any means, but I did still end up graduating almost a year early.

Would I do it again? Probably, yes. I would just recognize that college still needs to be the focus and flight school is the secondary activity. Adjust your studying accordingly. You don't get a GPA in flight school, so taking a little longer to get through, say, your PPL is no big deal.

Other options would be to take as many online classes as you can. Not being physically in class will significantly detract from your level of exhaustion, and most online courses are somewhat self-paced (i.e. everything due on a Monday), so it frees you up more to plan for the week and maximize rest.

That's why I was planning to take my ground school and flight classes only during spring/fall semesters, and do my academic classes in the summer semester, to try and break it up, while extending the time it takes to get my degree by two semesters. I have the same problem, I find my aviation classes to be much more interesting than English 102 or algebra.

Lindsey · November 17, 2012

That's why I was planning to take my ground school and flight classes only during spring/fall semesters, and do my academic classes in the summer semester, to try and break it up, while extending the time it takes to get my degree by two semesters. I have the same problem, I find my aviation classes to be much more interesting than English 102 or algebra.

Roger that, good plan. Didn't realize you were taking aviation classes.

superstallion6113 · November 18, 2012

Roger that, good plan. Didn't realize you were taking aviation classes.

Yeah I've been going to Guidance and Yavapai College since Jan. Finished with my first two semesters and my pvt license. Taking a break this semester with the baby having just been born this week.