Expert: Heiko Hanusch - 6/2/2009

Question
Hello,
im graduating after a week from high school. i still dont know which major i should go to. im interested in aviation, i really want to be a pilot but for some reason i dont think there are good chances of suceeding in this job because of low opportunities for girls in this job. so i want a job similar to a pilot, i mean in the aviation industry. im good at physics and math, what should i study, oh yeah and i prefer a ground job
THnks
jennifa

Answer
Hi,

Thanks for your question.

I believe that you are slightly misinformed about your chances in aviation. Woman in aviation are becoming more numerous on a daily basis and have a good chance of getting hired because of "minority laws". The real issue right now is that the aviation industry is in turmoil, wages are declining and there are no jobs to get as a Pilot in general because of the economy! The long term outlook is promising if you have time to wait it out. If you choose to become a Pilot you will have to spent about $ 50,000 for your licenses and to increase your chance you'll also need a Bachelors Degree. However, once done with school, the entry level Pilot jobs only pay between $ 17,000 - $38,000 for the first 10 years so make sure you really want to do this because you won't become rich being a Pilot. Other jobs in aviation are ATC Air Traffic Controller with very good pay and a very good long term outlook, the ATC system is expanding and the controllers average age is high, so a lot are retiring within the next 2-10 years which means very good outlook for this job! Starting pay is also very high (~ $ 75,000 first year pay). Only drawback here is that this is a very high stress job and only a few actually make it through the acceptance screening, but definitely worth a shot!

Good Luck,

Cpt. H2