Expert: D. Norkus - 6/12/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Norkus,
 This pertains to my wife's career. She is currently pursuing her bachelor degree in Sociology. She is very keen of joining aviation industry. In this way she has completed Diploma in Internation Aviation and Tourism Management.
 She wants to Complete her Master's (to be better equiped)and then search for a Job in Airlines. Now my question is what specilisation she needs to take for doing in Master's.(Like MBA in Toursim).
I have also heard that Airlines looks for candidates with Computer Knowledge. So should she do any specific computer courses?
Your advice would be a valuable input for her career.

Thanks

Sanjay

ANSWER: Sanjay

"what specilisation she needs to take for doing in Master's.(Like MBA in Toursim)."

What is her specific career interest? What is her desired airline? You say "She is very keen [to join the] aviation industry" yet do not mention any specific career. Before taking any degree, she must narrow down her answers and read the applicants requirements on her preferred airlines website.

As an airline pilot, I can comment on that career. As a former airline ground worker, I can comment on the entry level airline careers only (no management) such as customer service agent, ticket agent, flight attendant, ramp agent, catering, & skycap. Any other careers in the "aviation industry" I cannot address.

Applicants to the airlines rarely have a masters degree as it is not necessary. Many positions are entry level preferring a degree of any kind but do not require an applicant have a degree at all. Some applicants have only a high school diploma. Having any travel & tourism diploma or a 4 year or masters degree (in any subject) is simply a way for the hiring dept to rank their applicants and see who is over qualified versus those who meet only minimum requirements. Regarding computer coursework, taking some as part of her Sociology degree would be helpful to expand her basic knowledge but the airlines each use their own reservations systems and all are trained on that once they are hired. If she goes into management, then she will need more advanced skills in word processing, spread sheet and other business office software (I cannot comment further on such positions though.)

Because a masters is not required to apply for any of the positions I mentioned, in my opinion, there is no reason to take a masters program unless she wants to do so to further their education. However, if she wants to get into an airline career, tenure or "seniority" is everything. She should try to get into the career before going to school for several more years.

A "seniority number" is assigned employees when they are hired. Usually, that number means they are the "X"-th person on staff to hold that position at the airline. (Example 1,589 ticket agents and you have ticket agent seniority number 1,581. This means you have only 8 agents under you.) The sooner one hires on, the lower your seniority number will be as others are hired later. Schedules and holidays are bid upon based on seniority. Those with the most tenure (lowest number) get to chose before those with less seniority (bigger number). A person with a very high seniority number will have the worst schedule as that will not be bid by those with low seniority numbers and they get what is left over.

This is how it works in the United States. Your greeting "Hi Norkus" (my surname) and not "Hi Dottie", your spelling of 'specilisation' and some of your general phraseology leads me to think you probably are not in the USA. If that is true, the airline hiring requirements may be different abroad from what I have described here. As such my profile states, I can only address questions about careers within the United States only due to that fact.

Dottie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Dottie,
 Thanks a lot for your valuable information.Very true,I am from India.
I have few more questions as a follow up.
My Wife is not keen on joining any specific Airline.And she is looking for the entry level jobs as she has no previous experience in Aviation Industry.
She wants to complete her Master's before she could start her career is because later, while working, it would get difficult for someone to pursue furthur education. And furthur if there is a opening for a senior post or Promotion which looks for Master's Degree in the candidate, then her Master's would really help her.
Dottie, can you tell me how much a person who has just started as a ground worker will earn is USA? and how easy or difficult it is to get such jobs in USA for her who is from India? Does USA looks for any additional Qualification or Specialization in Degree for such Jobs for an international candidate?

Regards

Sanjay

Answer
1) My Wife is not keen on joining any specific Airline. She is looking for the entry level jobs as she has no previous experience in Aviation Industry.

I cannot address non-airline career interests. As mentioned, my area of expertise is the airlines and being an American I cannot address aviation careers (airline or otherwise) in India. However, if the job market in India is anything like the USA, most entry level positions are with the airlines.

2) She wants to complete her Master's before she could start her career is because later, while working, it would get difficult for someone to pursue [further] education...if there is a opening for a senior post or promotion which looks for Master's Degree in the candidate, then her Master's would really help her.

Without knowing her intended career path, it is impossible to know if any masters degree would truly help her. As they saying goes, "Don't put the cart in front of the horse". I must emphasize that to really have a useful degree that she may use for advancement later she needs to make a decision regarding her intended career now. Only then can she know what degree program would be preferred in her field of choice. In many positions, even managerial ones, a person with only a bachelors and many years of experience in the field is a better candidate than someone with a masters in a subject where they have little or no practical experience.

3)How much a [would] person who has just started as a ground worker earn is USA?

They would earn the pay scale set by the union contract for that position. This varies by airline. Virtually all non-management airline jobs are covered by a workers union. Pay starts at a set rate per hour and only increases annually based on years of seniority, not job performance.

Here are some averaged hourly wages- http://www.avjobs.com/salaries-wages-pay/index.asp

Multiply that by 2,000 (the avg hours worked per year, 40 hours over 50 weeks with two weeks of the year for vacation annually) to get annual compensation.

The US Buraeu of Labor Statistics also published job situations and compensations. Go here and search a job title for more info-
http://stats.bls.gov/search/ooh.asp?ct=OOH

As an example, the median annual earnings of reservation and transportation ticket agents in May 2006 was $28,540. The middle 50 percent earned between $21,640 and $38,540. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $17,670, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $45,400.

4) How easy or difficult it is to get such jobs in USA for [someone] who is from India?

Without a work permit or Employment Authorization Document/EAD, it would be impossible. I cannot advise on the chances of anyone obtaining a EAD. Go here for info-
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a

Currently, the situation is not very good due to the fuel crisis. With the operators in the USA paying 75% more for jet fuel than this time last year, most have cut their flight schedules and are warning staff of possible furloughs.


4) Does USA looks for any additional Qualification or Specialization in degree for such Jobs for an international candidate?

All candidates must meet the same requirements regarding education and their right to work in the USA (be either a citizen or possess a green card). No extra qualifications or degrees are necessary beyond the applicant criteria published on the company's website.