Careers: Flying & Aviation/Airline career prospects

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Expert: - 8/8/2004


Question
I am 27 years old with no formal education grades or degrees.I have always wanted to fly commercial aircraft and i believe i have the capabilities and attributes required to be able to complete pilot training, however i am under the impression that without a university/college background prospective employers may see me as unsuitable for a position on the flight deck.What do you think my oppertunities will be ?.Many thanks.

Answer
Hi, Ryan:

Nice to hear from you.  I will try to assist.

First of all, a formal college degree is an absolute requirement at only the larger airlines, and, a few of the smaller ones.  But, it is becoming more prevalent.  In the case of major airlines (those earning $1.0 billion or more in gross annual revenues), 90 % of those hired as pilots over the past five years had a college degree.  If you were thinking about entering the career field, I would think that it would be purdent to work on a college degree.  Over time, it will pay off in terms of your ability to move up in the industry and earn more pay (the majors, even with cutbacks, tend to pay the most).

A more important thing for you to know right now is that, if you have not taken any flight lessons, it would seem important for you to go out and earn your Federal Aviation Administration Private Pilot Certificate.  That way you could put your beliefs to work and actually know if you like to fly or not.  And, some colleges and universities will be able to post college credit for your earned FAA Certificates and licenses.  In the case of the university I work for, you can earn a total of 30 hours of credit for an FAA Private Certificate plus an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument and Multi Engine Ratings.  This is equal to one year of college credit.

I hope that this information helps.  Let me know if you need anything else.

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu

Careers: Flying & Aviation

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David A. NewMyer

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Can advise people thinking about beginning and aviation career and espcially those thinking about an aviation university program. Can also help with aviation scholarship questions. I am particularly strong in questions related to starting a flight career, choosing a university flight or aviation management program, aviation internships and aviation scholarships. Also, I can assist with questions about airport management and planning careers and oveall aviation industry employment questions.

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Prepared In addition to aviation education, I work at a major university, I have worked as an airport planner preparing airport system plans, airport master plan and environmental assessment reports for the Chicago area in general and for several individual Illinois airports.

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