Hey, I am currently 15 right now and want to become a pilot for one of the major airline carriers. There were a few question on my mind though, one of which was when should you go to college? I have heard some people say go to college right out of highschool and get your degree out of the way. Others have said try to do it online while working for the regional airlines. If you do decide to go to college, for how long should you go for? I was looking at some requirements for the major airline carriers and most of them say you need a bachelors degree (unless you do a flow through program). I don’t know if this is still necessary, but It would be helpful to know how you some of guys became pilots because i feel that many people don’t explain the education involved in becoming a pilot.
Leo,
Yes it’s still necessary. Our recommendation is ALWAYS to go to college first and complete your education which means 4yr degree (unless you’re starting later in life). ATP won’t even accept you as a student right out of HS because many have been unsuccessful doing this.
Do well in HS and college and then begin your flight training. Take a look at our FAQ section as we discuss this in detail.
Adam
Hey Leo,
I agree with Adam and the other mentors that will probably respond to this as all of them has echoed this advice throughout the forum. I just turned on October and I am going into my senior year of college. I am on pace to graduate with my bachelors at the end of this year. I went straight from highschool into college in order to “get it over with” with lack of a better term while I was still in school mode. long story short, I started college a couple months after turning 18 and now, as I’ve stated before, I am on pace to graduate with my bachelors at 21 and that is a check in one of the boxes. There’s always the dual enrollment option for you aswell and more good news, you can major in whatever you want. Its up to you but as Adam said (and I echo), I would just get it all out of the way now and then focus on flight training later…Just please don’t try to go to an aviation college thinking that you are going to get you ratings and degree at the same time because that rarely happens in a timely manner. Good luck!
Thank you guys for responding, this helped me alot.