My name is Colby, I’m 16 and I’ve been dreaming about becoming an Airline Pilot for a while now, and I am just trying to figure out the best path to take to get where I want to be.
First off, do you guys think it would be a good idea to start at ATP as soon I finish High School, or should I go ahead and get my 4-Year?? I know that a Bachelors Degree is required by the big airlines, but would it be smart to go ahead and get all of my ratings at ATP before obtaining my degree?
Second, is ATP the best place to go to become an Airline Pilot without being buried in student loans for life from all of those aviation colleges? I just want to find the most efficient way to do what I love.
First you need to know you cannot go straight from high school to ATP. ATP requires either a 2yr degree (or equivalent work experience) or a Private Pilots license. More important even if you could it wouldn’t be a wise idea. Major airlines require a 4 yr degree and it’s best to accomplish this when you’re young and still in “learning” mode. Also airlines don’t require aviation degrees, while you may believe you have your mind and heart set on a career as a pilot, you have many years to go and many things can happen over those years. Regardless of what you do it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan. The best thing you can do at this stage of your life is continue your education, get a degree and then start your flight training.
To begin ATP’s program, you will need either two years of work experience, two years of college, or a private pilot license, so attending ATP straight out of high school is not an option. I personally recommend going to college and getting a four year degree as, like you said, you will need one at some point anyways and it is simply easier to just finish it all at once. I recommend getting your degree in something other than aviation, so you have a backup plan should you ever need one.
You will notice that this website is sponsored by ATP, all of the mentors on here went through ATP’s program and believe in it, which is why we are on here talking about the program. I feel that ATP is the most efficient way to the airlines, it has worked for thousands of pilots.
Before you simply commit yourself to flying as a career, go take an intro flight and see if you actually like flying. Beyond that, spend some serious time on this forum reading the articles and posts and feel free to ask any questions that you think of.
Thank you Adam, I was unaware that I needed those prerequisites. I agree many things could happen in the coming years before attending. Due to the costs of attending a 4-year university I am definitely considering getting a degree online. Do you have any recommendations of cost-effective schools I could attend before ATP?
I say go local. Get your core credits at your local community college on the cheap and then depending on your grades and field of study transfer to a 4 year. At that point you haven’t spent a fortune or built up a ton of debt, maybe then even consider training with ATP. As I said, study hard, continue your education and then you can decide.
Great advice Chris, I’m very grateful in the advice and quick replies you guys give! Strongly appreciated! I just feel that attending a 4-Year University would just be too pricey considering I’m paying so much money to get a degree that’s not even my primary passion (like you said though, can’t hurt to have a Plan B). Because of this I’m considering getting a bachelors online. Any cons, downsides or better options I should be aware about?
An online degree from a reputable college will cost exactly the same as an in-person degree from them will. If a college is advertising a highly discounted online degree, I would do some serious research into the school before deciding to attend there.
I realize this topic is old, but it had popped up in my suggested topic section and I want to offer my two cents. Let me tell you of a very reputable online college that is very affordable. It’s called Western governor’s University, WGU for short. Most of the curriculum is $5k-$7k a year. I came out of there with a ton of knowledge and about 5 CompTIA Certifications that were paid as part of the curriculum. It’s 100% self study, meaning it’s all on you to get the work done and graduate, so keep that in mind, you have to be a self motivator. I highly recommend this school though, it’s worth looking into.
Also note that some community colleges partner with local airports. So you can get professional pilot certs along with credits towards an associate’s degree or towards a bachelor’s degree at a 4 year. This route isn’t available everywhere and it could be quite costly.
I want to add, at all costs, about attending the University of Phoenix online. It is rediculously expensive and the curriculum is no different than WGU. Avoid UoP.