AboutDottie Norkus Expertise I can address questions concerning: airline pilot employment & entry level airline careers in the Unites States, women pilots, flight training, pilot certification, non-university flight scholarships (mostly for women), aviation & airline safety topics, aviation accident investigation, air carrier accidents and airline operations.
Please note, I CANNOT address flight training or career queries from outside the United States. If you are not in the USA, please direct your question to the message boards at www.PPRUNE.org as you can surely find an answer there. For those in India try http://www.indianpilots.com
Also, I cannot address questions about aero engineering degree programs/careers or aviation management careers.
Experience U.S. Regional airline pilot with 15 years previous experience in airline ground operations. I have previously flown as a commercial skydive pilot and ferry pilot.
Organizations I am a charter member of Women In Aviation International as well as the International Organization of Women Pilots: the Ninety Nines. I keep a database of flight scholarships for women (mostly in the Southwestern USA) and mentor student pilots.
Education/Credentials Embry Riddle Aeronautical University certificate in Aviation Safety/Accident investigation.
A.S. in Aerospace Science.
I have a few questions about what career path to pursue given my current situation. I would love to get some advice from a woman such as yourself within the aviation industry.
I'm 24 years old and have never really found my "dream job" on which to focus my education. I receiced an AA degree from a community college and took sporatic semesters at University without acquiring an actual Bachelor's degree. I got a job at an FBO during this time and fell in love with aviation, specifically finding an interest in aviation management.
I inquired with many private technical colleges in the Orlando area since there were no aviation programs available at local Universities, but found I would be looking at a lot of money in tuition to acquire such a specific degree. Also, much of my general courses from my AA degree wouldn't satisfy the general requirements for this degree, so I would be looking at more time in school (not just 2 more years on top of my Associates).
I recently have been layed off from my job and cannot find anything in this hugely competitive market. I am now faced with this decision: do I pursue a sure-thing vocational career (I'm strongly considering stenotyping) with promising job opportunities and study something that's not my passion for 2+ years to secure my financial future? Or, do I find the money to get my bachelor's in Aviation Management which would take more time in school and wouldn't guarantee a well-paying job upon graduation? I'm afraid if I study a trade now, it will still cost money, and if I do decide to go into aviation later I'll be starting at an entry level position at an older age (but I'll be doing what I love).
I'm mostly scared that if I do stenotyping, I'll get stuck doing that for the rest of my life and regret it forever. It's probably a smarter move considering this economy, but I don't want to waste my younger years pursuing something that's not my passion and have to return to school later, if that ever happens at all.
I guess what I'm asking is do you think it's too much of a risk given my situation to pursue my aviation education now, or do you think I should do what's safe financially and return to eduation later in life? Will the aviation industry have enough opportunities by the time I get my degree to support my debt? I would love to hear what you think. Thanks.
Answer Courtney
I really can't advise on aviation management careers since it is not in my scope of entry level airline or pilot careers however one thing is certain:
Down the road if you don't go for what you really want, you only will wind up older and wishing for it.
However, if you aren't prepared financially or otherwise to make that possible now you will have to compromise and do what you need to to pay bills while still chipping away at your ultimate goal. (I was a mid-life career changer and took a $25K/yr pay cut, so I can relate.) There is nothing wrong with starting your dream job later in life. Especially if it will make you happiest in the long run and you can incur less debt when you do make the transition by having had the "sure-thing" vocational job to get you on sounder financial footing. You just have to have the courage to make the change later to what you are passionate about and not get stuck in the comforts of the less exciting job. (Or the courage and planning to accept a greater amount of risk for a more immediate time frame to meet your goals.)
"Will the aviation industry have enough opportunities by the time I get my degree to support my debt?"
I wish I could say. That's the thing about following your dreams: Even if there may not be an opportunity when you are ready for one, you have to make the leap of faith and go for it if that is truly your passion.
You didn't say if you still worked at the FBO, but perhaps there is a way you can find a vocational job skill that could be used in aviation management. (Plus, having one is something to fall back on should something happen to your aviation job!) I suggest networking if you can to see what types of things would be available to you. Especially since there are airports in your areas with a lot of corporate aviation traffic.
...but you'd have to be enrolled in an aviation program. Embry-Riddle offers extended learning online and via extended campus locations, which they do have in Orlando, so maybe that could be a start even if you weren't a full time student.
Try investigating an aviation management internship to get more exposure and perhaps help you better refine your ultimate aviation career goal. Search
[aviation management] + internship
or
[aviation internship] + Florida
as formatted and see what comes up.
I also suggest looking around for field related message forums where you can connect with those in the field or current av management students for their input. Start here- http://forums.flightinfo or http://usaviation.com/forums/
You may have to be willing to take a bit of financial risk to do what makes you happy but you are also prudent to do what you can to keep a livable income. I did so with room mates, part time classes and a slow but persistent track that eventually achieved what I set out to do. I may not have been in my 20's when it happened, but neither am I middle age and wishing I was doing something I wasn't.
