Hi, I’m currently a freshman at college and I’m majoring in psychology. I definitely want to become an airline pilot after this degree and i’m majoring in psychology just for a back up plan but I’m little bit concerned about things.
Do I really need a degree in aviation field or it can be any as long as I have a degree?
Should I complete my degree first or I can start my training on side?
Are students from ATP flight school priority of airlines? If I complete my training from any FAA approved local flight school, will I get hired after completing my training?
First I need to suggest you visit our FAQ section where we answer all of these questions (and many other common ones) in detail but here are some short answers:
the Majors want a degree, they don’t care what the field of study is.
we always recommend finishing your degree first. Success in flight training is dependant on consistency which is difficult to accomplish “on the side”.
ATP actuality pioneered airline agreements and long before the pilot shortage ATP grads were hired with reduced minimums. Regardless of what flight school you attend you’ll have to build the required 1500hrs flight time to be hired by any airline but yes your training can be accomplished anywhere. Keep in mind many people find training at their local flight school to be a very frustrating, lengthy and expensive way to go.
Welcome to the forums, let’s get to your questions:
There is zero reason to get a degree that is related to aviation, none at all. In fact we strongly recommend that you get a degree in something else so that you have that backup plan.
I would recommend finishing your degree, then going to flight training (this is what I did). Getting a degree, and getting good grades, is a full time job and so is flight training. You will find that flight training is not just another class, it is really something that you will need to immerse yourself in and that will take away from your college studies.
Airlines do look upon ATP graduates well because they know that ATP has been turning out high quality airline pilots for decades, they know what they are doing. You can get your ratings at any flight school and can certainly apply to the airlines, but most people have awful experiences at little schools. I got my Private license at a little school, it was horrible. The school only had two airlines, my instructor did not want to fly weekends, there were delays after delays. It ended up costing many thousands more than they quoted me. I went to ATP after that as I wanted a school that knew how to handle students that wanted to be professional pilots, not just weekend warrior pilots.
Keep in mind that ATP is now including the ATP-CTP course as part of the Airline Career Pilot Program. This will be a huge advantage to somebody applying to the airlines as it means that you will be one giant step closer to having the qualifications necessary to be an airline pilot and will likely lead to your application be looked upon more favorably than others. Read more about that here: https://atpflightschool.com/airline-career-pilot-program/atp-certification-training-program.html
I know that we sound like ATP cheerleaders on here and the reality is that we are. All three of the official mentors, plus many former ATP grads that chime in, do so because we went to ATP, got what we were promised and then became successful airline pilots.
I’ll chime in. You can do the ATP Flex Track Program which will allow you to do college and ATP at the same time. This will allow you to get hired by a regional at 22 video.
This isn’t simply about finding a job as there are many factors that will determine that. Airlines hire well trained pilots who meet or exceed their requirements. So to answer your question no, if you choose another flight school and successfully complete all your training not going to ATP won’t put you at a disadvantage.
The problem is a huge number of pilots who do their training locally never earn the licenses and ratings they need to get hired. ATP was created by airline pilots to train airline pilots for a career in aviation. Every mom and pop school on the block now has a career or professional pilot program. But, if you ask them how many of their students have actually gotten to the airlines it’s only one or two ever. ATP has produced literally thousands of airline pilots over the last 30+ years. It’s about setting yourself up for success and choosing a flight school that has the level of training, a proven program and the resources to help you reach your goals.
Thank you so much! It helped a lot and I really appreciate. One more thing that I want to ask you all, Do you guys really enjoy being a pilot? It is very stressful job or do you guys enjoy doing it?
That’s a very individual thing. Every year I see the list of most stressful jobs and without failure “airline pilot” always makes it. To me flying is my happy place and the least stressful part of my life (in fact my Gear watch has a HR monitor and the only time my HR is lower is when I’m asleep) but that’s me. Others not so much, in fact that’s something that always amazes me. We essentially all have the same job and I fly with some pilots who like me absolutely love what they do and others think it’s one step away from prison work. I think it’s about expectations and whether or not you truly have a passion for it. Those of us who do all seem really happy but the people who didn’t for the money or because they thought it be cool not so much.
Really? I’d assume those are the people when you asked them what was their previous job before airlines and they respond with flight instructing and no other previous work experience.
I have never thought that this was a stressful job. That isn’t to say that I haven’t experienced stress on the job. There have been brief moments when I have been stressed, but it almost always involves handling passenger comfort, not operating the aircraft.
I do enjoy being a pilot. Of course there are moments of stress, but in a strange way I like those too. I have thought about other career paths and can’t possibly imagine doing anything else.
I was reaching out to flight schools near me and I came to know through my college that there is a local college which provides associates degree in flight science. As I am doing Bachelors in Psychology, would you recommend me to do both at the same time?