I want to become a commercial air pilot. I will be getting a degree in Education, is this a problem?

Question

I am 17 years old and have dreamed of being a pilot for quite some time now. I already have 33 hours from a community college I have been attending, my major as of now is listed as Education (I could change that of course.) I was thinking of transferring to the University of Texas at San Antonio, finishing up my degree in Education, while taking lessons at the same time to get my certificates. (I have the funds, so that is not a problem.) However, I really need to know if this is a good path to go down if I really want to be a pilot. I have thought about attending flight school, but I like the idea of having a degree in Education as a back up. Also, will I get hired with a degree in Education, or do major airlines really prefer a degree in Aviation or flight school?

Answer 1

I disagree with the first poster. While I'm more familiar with the aviation industry in Canada, in the US it is relatively similar.

I think that doing a degree in education while doing your flight training on the side is a great idea considering you have the available funds. Each airline is different, but from what I can gather, most of them don't really care what your degree is in, just that you've shown that you have the dedication and intelligence to complete one.

Having something that is outside of aviation is a great back up plan. You may lose your medical, get laid off or find that you just want to do something different.

The downsides to completing your flight training in that nature is that it may take longer than if you did it all in one shot. If you did flight training full time you'd be flying for a living sooner, however, then you wouldn't have a back up plan. I think having a back up plan is a good idea.

Although as alluded to by the first poster, the military is a good way to get your training, military life isn't for everyone and there's a minimum commitment required when signing up. I think it is 10 years in the US but I stand to be corrected - It's roughly 11 years in Canada.

There are jobs available for civilian pilots. The thing to keep in mind is that at the lower levels, these jobs are relatively low paying and it can take anywhere between 5 to 10 years before you're making a half decent income.

Good Luck with your education and flight training!

Answer 2

The first poster is incorrect.  Education is a good fall back, and you won't have any problem getting a teaching job if you did need to fall back on it.  It seems that everyone has their own path that they follow to get to the airlines.  If you could, I recommend working on your ratings while attending school if that's economically feasible.  Otherwise, get your degree and then work on your ratings after college.  I have a degree in Social Science and was recently hired by a major airline, so no it doesn't matter.

Answer 3

Getting the education degree is a big waste of time and money if you want to be a pilot.  The best path for being a commercial pilot is to join the United States Air Force, and become a pilot there, then transfer over to civilian life.

You can do it privately as well, but you're going to have to have an awful lot of $$ for all of the training, working your way up through all of the single prop, instrument, night, twin prop, etc etc all the way through the jets.  It will also take a decent bit of time.

The biggest problem is that the market sucks for commercial passenger pilot jobs right now, with airlines cutting capacity and struggling to survive.  But I can tell you, if you finish your education degree and then chase being a pilot for 5 years, that will make it harder to get a teaching job if you decide to fall back (because you'll have to explain during your interviews that the reason it took you so long to start applying is that you tried to be a pilot first- from which they can figure out that as soon as you make it as a pilot, you would quit teaching).

Answer 4

The airlines do not care what your degree is in, as long as you have one. Education could actually be an asset, either as a flight instructor at a university or in the training department at an airline. In addition, its a degree you could fall back on for non-flying employment if there's a downturn in the aviation business. I've spent nearly 1/4 of my 22 year career unemployed as a pilot due to business closures or layoffs, so I know wherefrom I speak. In fact, here is a pertinent example: Aloha airlines just closed their doors today after 60 years in business. Aviation is a very fickle business to be in. Finish your degree in education, and if you have an opportunity, get a Masters degree too.

Answer 5

If your goal is to be a commercial pilot look into aviation schools offering 4 year degrees.  This will "pivot" your career, if you qualify, as a commercial pilot.

You will earn a degree as well as a commercial pilot license.  Inquiring into these schools will also evaluate requirements necessary to earn your license.

Answer 6

I have known several commercially rated pilots who were also educators, including one who has a PhD in education and was employed as a school district Superintendent.  An degree in education is a good backup plan. In the event  something were to happen to shorten your flying career, you could still teach school!