bachelors in aviation something-or-other

[ohman]

hey all,

another one of those topics i need to bounce off those of you with some experience.

 

is a bachelors in an aviation related field worth the time and money? my issue is with its marketability.

 

will a BA in this field be good for anything in another field.

 

i know the theory behind specializing is that you remain in that particular career domain, and not go changing things up all the time. ie. if you're going aviation stay aviation.

 

but i'm being pessimistic, i've already been burned once by the helicopter industry (though I bet some of you would contend ssh was never a real part of the HELICOPTER industry,) and need to get some wisdom here.

 

my reason for looking at a bachelors in aviation is due to the fact i can get a lone that will subsequently pay for my fly time and training as well. otherwise i'd just go straight for the business admin. degree.

 

so if any of you have some practical or theoretical advise i'd appreciate it.

 

and i apologize if this topic in some way feels redundant to previous posts, i've browsed through them and felt i needed a little more clarity.

 

thanks

[BOATFIXERGUY]

Any education you can get is a good thing. If you want or need to move to the office side of the business, the big companies are going to want a degree. The degree might save you if one day your medical is cancelled for some reason.

[Wally]

If your life is going to be centered entirely on aviation, then an aviation-related degree might be useful. I'm not interested in anything beyond the rotor-tips as far as my vocation's concerned, so there are other things in life I'm much rather study. Given that absolute disinterest, I'd diversify.

[crfracer]

I have been finding that these days a college diploma is like a high school diploma used to be. You don't HAVE to have one, but many companies will pay you more strictly because you have the piece of paper saying you did it. As far as the major goes, I have found that it doesn't matter all that much. If you need special training for your field (business, medicine, etc.) having a masters is what makes the difference, and you can get a masters in something other than what you majored in.

 

As far as having the diploma is concerned, take my girlfriend as an example. She has a major in psychology, with an emphasis in gerontology (old people for those that didn't know). She took a job at a Vet and is getting paid more than another girl that works there with lots of experience in a vet's office and working on her Vet Tech degree, simply because she has a piece of paper saying she went to a State University for 4 years.

 

Personally, I would say go ahead and get the aviation degree, it can only help you. And, if for some strange reason (I have no idea why anyone ever would ) you decide to change jobs and go work in the business world, you already have a leg up and it makes it easier to get an MBA or something along those lines. Hey, you could even get an MBA while you are flying helicopters and just have that much more marketability (although, you may find that at that point you are becoming over qualified for some jobs, yes I have heard of this happening in other fields)

 

Hope this helps,

 

Ethan

[Spierman]

The only thing you have that no one can take away is an educated mind. I have never felt it to be a wasted effort to get information for my mind. I admit, when I was in high school, I di not realize the value of what the teachers/instructors/educators were GIVING me. When I entered the USAF I quickly became enthralled with higher education. It is where you can learn from others and give of yourself to others.

I agree, you may have to work a little harder for the short run, but it will be worth it in the long run. Like the other poster indicated, you may not remain medically qualified to fly out your years on the planet. We are taught to be prepared for the unlikely events, are we not?

 

Go get it for yourself, your children, and your children's children.....

[mechanic]

I'll try and be brief, but be a parrot repeating from the Expo program.

 

A degree depends on where you want to end up flying. One of the panel members stated that a BS/BA was a requirement to fly for UT/Sickhorsky and some LE programs, lol..

 

Other panel members said no degree required of any kind for most flight positions in general. Only if you see yourself moving up into management then a degree is needed/welcomed. Business for management of course but maybe a tech degree if your thinking of getting into safety/ops related management.

 

Lastly, as someone mentioned, if you loose your med you will have something to fall back on if your grounded.

 

Later

[delorean]

Like everyone else said, it can only help you get a job.

 

But more importantly, it's going to help you a lot in life's big decisions and projects. Mortgages, buying a car, ethical issues, writing cover letters/resumes/whatever, building a house, etc if you have a more well rounded education.

 

A BS, BA, AS, XX in Aviation is not going to involve sitting at a desk for 4 years learning everything there is to know about Aviation. In fact, less than half of it is going to be aviation. The other half is going to be English courses, mathematics, ethics, and other electives like history and such. If it's a business degree you'll have accounting classes, statistics, law, presentation classes, etc. More of a science/engineering degree with be more math, theory, thermodynamics, physics, etc.

 

Any and all of these are going to be useful to you at some point in your life. High school threw everything at you so you could find what you liked and what you were good at. College is the opportunity to capitalize on both of those aspects.

[aclark79]

I can tell you that having a degree (History, Emory '99) has not helped me become a better pilot, but it has made me a better instructor. It has helped me get a management position within my field and will continue to open doors beyond the pilots position. I think a lot of us plan on being pilots and may not think about the longer term positions within the companies we work for. As expressed by the captains of industry at Heli-Expo, a pilot or mechanic is a fantastic trade and there will always be a need for guys and galls who want to stay as pilots, but good managers are hard to find. A degree seems to be a requirement to move into any position beyond pilot. I say, get it now while you are in the school mindset and then move into the active flying.

 

You will learn things while getting your BA/BS etc, that will help you in all aspect of aviation except for the actual flying.

[ohman]

thanks aclark for your input,

i saw you graduated E-R, if i read that correctly, and am wondering whether its worth the time and extra cost to get a BA/BS in aviation, or if i should just get the standard university degree at a much lower cost?

also, did your loan (assuming you took one out) cover your actual flight training?

 

thanks

[dolphindriver]

I happen to have a BS Degree in "Professional Aeronautics" from Embry Riddle. So it is obviously aviation related. I left the Army and wanted nothing to do with aviation so I looked at different companies from all walks of life. I can emphatically say that none cared what my degree was in, only that I had one.

 

The funny thing was that when a few read "Professional Aeronautics" on my resume during the interview, they said "you must be really smart." My theory is that "aeronautics" is a word that sounds very academic to those who are not in aviation. A degree in aviation can't be all bad.

 

Now I fly for the Coast Guard and am working on a Master's in an aviation field as well. The basics of any degree will carry over to other segments of the economy.

Edited February 28, 2008 by dolphindriver

[Tom22]

Like dolphindriver I also have a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle. I am currently job hunting and recently interviewed with Boeing for an office job in contracts and pricing. As the Coast Guard would not let me go to officer candidate school because Embry-Riddle does not meet the minority enrollment requirement for the Blue 21 Flight Initiative. So therefore, I am also trying to get my CFI done so I will have more options available for employment.

 

 

Look at getting a degree as enrichment insofar as refining your communication and analytical skills. Trust me you will learn a lot. Think about a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. There are all kinds of engineering jobs at aircraft manufacturers like Bell and Sikorsky. I am thinking about going back to school for a second Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering or a Masters in Human Factors and Systems.

[dolphindriver]

"As the Coast Guard would not let me go to officer candidate school because Embry-Riddle does not meet the minority enrollment requirement for the Blue 21 Flight Initiative."

 

Just to clarify, you do not need to meet college minority requirements to go to Officer Candidate School. You can be accepted to OCS if you go to any accredited College. Blue 21 is only for those who want guaranteed flight school after OCS.

 

If you really want to fly for the Coast Guard, apply for OCS and apply for flight school while in OCS. Since you are an Embry-Riddle grad you know the aviation side and should have no problem passing the required tests.

[Tom22]

I wanted guaranteed flight school after OCS.

[aclark79]

thanks aclark for your input,

i saw you graduated E-R, if i read that correctly, and am wondering whether its worth the time and extra cost to get a BA/BS in aviation, or if i should just get the standard university degree at a much lower cost?

also, did your loan (assuming you took one out) cover your actual flight training?

 

thanks

 

Emory University is a University located in Atlanta Ga, part of the "southern Ivy League".

 

I don't really know if the BA/BS specifically in aviation is worth it, but my guess (only a guess at this point) is that it certainly wouldn't hurt, I can only see it as a positive.

 

Loans at this point are separate, University was for university and are paid off... flight training was for flight training. If you can get a school loan through ER that also covers training, jump all over it