Degree

[FlyGirl86]

I was wondering what the difference is between getting your Bachelors degree in helio aviation as opposed to just going through the flight school and getting your hours and doing it at your own pace. Dont most jobs hire according to your hours and experience as opposed to your degree? Just wondering if anybody could tell me what the benefits of spending a lot more money and getting your Bachelors degree would amount to...

[GottaFly]

I dont have any specific experience becoming employed in this field. But one could only assume aviation is like any other industry.

 

To present my opinion in the form of a rhetorical question: If you and another candidate are applying for the same job, and one of you has a higher education than the other, who do you suppose the potential employer would prefer?

[Guest rookie101]

Wow, I think almost all noobies including myself, have asked this question a lot and it is something I didn't put in the FAQ (don't know why I didn't add in ). Here are some links (that will be added into the FAQ sooner or later) that, hopefully, answer your question.

 

http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/helicopterfor...&hl=Degrees

 

http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/helicopterfor...ic=3344&hl=

 

http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/helicopterfor...amp;#entry32279

[FlyGirl86]

Thanks for all the info. seems like BS is the way to go...but thats so expensive to get a BS and take fllight in your spare time. Does anyone know what percentage of helicopter pilots are women?

[delorean]

Thanks for all the info. seems like BS is the way to go...but thats so expensive to get a BS and take fllight in your spare time. Does anyone know what percentage of helicopter pilots are women?

 

~5.5% of ALL pilots in the US are women according to AOPA. As far as helicopter pilots, it's even less than that. I remember reading some FAA stats a few years ago and the number of Commercial or higher pilot certificates held by women was in the hundreds. Now, that was for rotorcraft ONLY.....tack on dual rated and and you maybe have a 1,000 - 2,000?

 

If anybody ever finds that breakdown of pilot stats, please post the link. It was really interesting. It broke everything down by age as well. I remember seeing that I was one of a dozen rotorcraft CFIs in the country under the age of 20. I'm sure that number has gone up quite a bit since then though.

[HH60Pilot]

To present my opinion in the form of a rhetorical question: If you and another candidate are applying for the same job, and one of you has a higher education than the other, who do you suppose the potential employer would prefer?

 

There is a factor that is more important than whether you have a BS or not, and that is the number of flight hours that you have. Someone with 5,000 hours and no degree will probably get the job over someone with 1,000 hours and a degree. This is assuming the two candidates were equal in all other areas. It is also going to depend on what the employer is looking for and what type of flying you will be doing. The three main areas that are going to make or break whether you get a job is your number of hours of flight time, how well you can market yourself to a potential employer (this includes everything from your cover letter and resume to the face-to-face interview), and how well you do during the flight portion of the interview process. I would say that if there are two equal candidates after that point, then having the degree might be a factor.

 

Now, don't take this as me saying not to get your degree, as I am a big supporter of getting a college education. Having the degree won't mean a thing towards getting the job as a line pilot, but if you want to move of the food chain in the company, having a degree can give you a leg up on getting into a management position. Having a degree that will garner you employment should you ever not be able to pass the flight physical is something that you will appreciate having if you ever lose your medical.

 

Many people look at the military where other than the Army WOFT program, a Bachelor of Something is required to be a pilot. This is actually not correct, the truth is that the degree is required to be a commissioned officer and the services require that to be a pilot you must be a commissioned officer. They don't care what your degree is in, as they look at the degree as a measure of maturity and your ability to stick with something. It speaks to your ability to study and learn. This is important to the military before they select you for flight training on the taxpayers dime that can last longer than two years from start to finish.

 

Ultimately, you have to look within yourself and determine what is best for you. If you were not interested in aviation, would you be heading off to college this fall to get a degree or would you be heading off into the work world without a degree? If going to college isn't for you (only you know this), then how motivated are you going to be and are you setting yourself up for failure by forcing yourself to do something that you are not interested in? If you would be going to college if you were looking at a career in something other than aviation, then I would say that you should be in college. You can start working towards your ratings while in college and get the job after you graduate (there will still be jobs available four years down the road).

 

The FAA can pull your medical in a heartbeat, but you will always have the sheepskin until the day you die.

 

Just my two-cents.

 

Doug

[Gomer Pylot]

Right now, a degree is worthless. Hours count, and education is immaterial. Anyone with 1000 hours can get a job immediately, degree or not. 200 hours and a CPL will get you squat. 1000 hours and a CPL will get you a job today. Right or wrong, that's the reality. The only organization which gives a rat's ass about education is the military, and you need a degree to get promoted very far there, even as an Army warrant officer. In the civilian world, a degree is as much a hindrance as an asset. Civilian companies want pilots for today, not potential managers. At least that's my experience.