I am currently in university and will graduate in two years. I fly on the weekends, aiming for my private pilot license, and only have 20 hours so far. My father insists that I drop out of university and enroll in a flight school as I will earn hours faster and after finishing that I will head straight to the airlines. He also points out that if I were to wait and graduate and earn my hours slowly, the demand for pilots will decrease and it will be much harder for me to fly for a major airline.
I am a bit skeptical on heading straight to the airlines straight out of flight school, but what I would like to know is what are your personal opinions on this? Should I stay in school and stick with local lessons, or enroll in a flight school? What are the pros and cons to each of them? Any feedback would be much appreciated.
Last thing I want to do is give advice to a young man that goes against their parent but I am curious where your father is getting his info from?
While he’s correct there is a pilot shortage, it already has begun to cool. A number of airlines have announced they’re done hiring for the year and it’s only February. You see a few years back EVERYBODY in this country seemed to have decided that they ALWAYS wanted to fly and with that surge of newbies they’re starting to catch up. Don’t get me wrong, the airlines will continue to need bodies for a few years but the days of getting hired with nothing more than a license and a pulse are showing signs of ending. While no airline requires a 4yr degree, ALL the Majors still list a degree as a “preferred” or “competitive” minimum. That means as slots become more competitive, those with degrees will get called first. Those without may find themselves stuck at a Regional far longer than anticipated or even forever as it was in the past.
Further, what if flying doesn’t work out for you? You’ve got 20hrs, that doesn’t mean you’ll end up at Delta. Bust a few checkrides, suffer an incident or accident, lose your medical and you could find yourself on a different career path. It’s ALWAYS a good idea to have a backup plan.
If you’re only 2yrs away from getting your degree and you were my son I’d have you complete your education and then enter an accelerated program like ATPs. That would put you in the best position to be hired AND cover your bases as well. But that’s me.
On top of what Adam said, if you drop out of college, you’ll be on the hook for the student loans youve ran up so far, with repayments starting 6 months later. Youll have a few options since you’ll at that time be unemployed and in flight school and won’t have 2 cents to rub together, such as entering a deferment program where the interest will keep running up at astronomical rates, or default on it, ruin your financial future and your cosigners credit score and make yourself unhireable in the future because “this guy is an idiot with his money”
All the programs that can help with student loan debt, such as IDR, refinancing and even releasing your cosigner, all require college graduation to be eligible. Without graduating, your only options will be to pay, die, or ruin yours and your cosigners financial lives
Thank you to both Roman and Adam for the amazing advice and insight. I too prefer staying in school and graduate with a degree, but it’s difficult when your parent who is providing for you wants one thing and you the other, I am sure you guys can relate. If there are any other pointers, feel free to share them with me. I appreciate all the feedback I can get.
I too recommend finishing college first, then going to flight school. The major airlines will want to see a degree and it is often difficult for people to go back and finish their degrees once they have stopped, life simply gets in the way. The pilot shortage is definitely starting to come to an end and qualifications will matter again, to include having a college degree.
Thank you Chris! I appreciate your insight very much, and after hearing back from you all I definitely have a better idea on where I stand. Once again, thank you all who shared!