I have seen that this question has been asked before, but that was 6 years ago. Times have changed, major airlines no longer require bachelor’s degrees. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether or not ATP School right out of high school is a good option? Thanks for everyone’s opinions.
(Also thanks to Adam and William for already answering this, just looking for more thoughts on the topic.)
Adam,
I’ll let others chime in that the majority of the Majors NEVER required a degree but ALL still prefer one and someone with a degree will always get the nod first. Nothing has changed other than alot of aspiring pilots seeking the minimums vs trying to make themselves more competitive.
Adam
Adam,
The legacy majors still very much prefer a degree. I still strongly encourage people to go to college, then flight training. Yes, going to flight training first might be the faster route, but there is more to life than just flight training. We have often seen that the maturity and experience that comes with four more years of school is beneficial when it comes to flight training. I say college first, then flight training.
Chris
Adam,
Having a degree should also be considered for a backup plan. As the others who are currently Captains at Legacies have said, it is highly preferred that you have a degree. Your attendance at a college will help with maturity and experience of studying/performing on evaluation/tests. The other constraint many have right out of high school with trying to attend a flight school like ATP is securing the financing, not everyone has the best credit score and financials to pursue.
I’m with Chris on this, college then flight school. ATP will not be closing their doors anytime soon, in fact they just expanded 2 more locations from 77 to 79, and have more airplanes on delivery this year.
Brady