Expert: David A. NewMyer - 12/12/2005

Question
hello sir.i have a question for you.i always wanted to be a pilot and work for airlines.I got my commercial license last year but after checking out what airlines are asking you to have and how much they pay,i decided that i better give up and do something that is related to  aviation.I got accepted at Dowling college in New York for the MBA in aviation management and i was very happy.BUT after talking with many people who work for airlines and some others who already hold an aviation degree,i was suprised to hear from them that an aviation degree is useless..I personally try not to beleive them but i still have doubts.Can you please tell me if that degree is usefull?If i can ever find a job with it?OR i will be spending so much money for nothing?thank you very much

Answer
Hi, John:

Thanks for your question, I will try to assist.

First of all, a degree is NEVER a waste of time.  There is a value to any education that you receive, provided that you take it seriously, learn as much as you can and then try to relate what you have learned to where you want to work.

Second, keep in mind that airline employers, especially some legacy airlines, have a history of "hiring from within/promoting their own/promoting only those who have paid their dues within the company/believe in starting from the bottom of the company and working up" and, therefore, do NOT value aviation degrees AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THAT SORT OF INTERNAL PROMOTION AND WORKER DEVELOPMENT.  

Third, those who have aviation degrees and then are complaining about not being able to find a job are probably place-bound (meaning, not able to move to find a job) since there ARE 2.1 people working in the U. S. civil aviation community today, and, even more in the military.  Or, they might have a degree in aviation, but, did not "build a bridge" from that degree to a job....via an internship, a summer job or some other way to gain work experience in their chosen field.

IT IS NOT EASY TO FIND A JOB IN ANY CAREER FIELD:  IT IS HARD WORK TO DO SO.  AVIATION IS NO DIFFERENT.  REMEMBER THAT AS YOU COMPLETE YOUR MBA IN AVIATION.  IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU NOT ONLY FINISH THE DEGREE, BUT, TIE THE DEGREE TO SOME SORT OF AVIATION WORK EXPEREINCE WHILE STILL IN COLLEGE.

As far as finding a degree in aviation, check out these websites:

www.aviationinterviews.com

www.aeps.com

www.avjobs.com

www.avcrew.com

www.aviationemployment.com

www.airjobsdaily.com

I hope that this information is helpful to you.

Best wishes and follow up with another question via AllExperts.com if you wish to do so.

Sincerely,

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