Is two years at a community college ok for an aviation career?

Question

Well, I don't really want to spend much money on college...

I already have many backup plans if aviation does not work out for me, so a four year degree is just something I don't want right now.

Instead I thought getting an Associates degree at my local community college would be ok.

I looked at a lot of Airline job applications and it says to be competitive you should have some college...

I think this is a good idea because it will allow me to spend more money on getting flight hours.

What do you guys think?

Answer 1

I'll try to stay as objective as possible, but be warned, I am getting frustrated about how many people in this industry say that education is unnecessary.  How many other professional careers out there have people recommending cutting an education short because it's not absolutely necessary?  Like somebody who wants to be on the governing board of a Fortune 500 company - don't bother with an MBA, that's two extra years you could be building experience... You'd never hear it!

You know where my bias stands now... so here's where I try to be objective.  Things to consider:

The flight portion of your training will cost roughly the same no matter how you do it.  And it will cost $50,000+.  To funnel money from an education to "getting more flight hours" is trivial - you shouldn't be buying very much time beyond your commercial certification.

Here's some options:

1) Get a two year degree at a community college.

2) Spend about 20% more and get a bachelors degree in aviation from an in-state public university.  That saves huge bucks over going to a private or out-of-state aeronautical university.

3) Go to community college and take all of your general education electives.  Transfer these credits to a university and complete your bachelor's degree in whatever... Business or management is useful - captains are cockpit managers, utilizing limited resources in the most effective way to accomplish a goal.  At the same time as all of this, find a good flight instructor at your local FBO and work on your ratings.  If you can live at home while doing all of this, you can save a lot of money and end up with a four year degree and all of your ratings.

There are a lot of intangibles about a college education that will last a lifetime: networking, social aspects, memories, "finding yourself", etc.

Answer 2

yea its enough.

when you go in you need to go through tons of training. none of that stuff you will earn in college.

Answer 3

You go and find out, Jordan.  Have fun.

Answer 4

I saw some of your other questions too, and I commend you for doing your homework ahead of time before beginning a career in aviation. I think, however, that you have already made up your mind not to go to a 4 year college, and you are looking for someone with experience to give you an answer that will validate that decision. In other words, you are asking the right questions, but you are ignoring the answers you don't want to hear.

There are any number of possible career paths in aviation. It is not necessarily true that you will not have any chance of a career without a 4 year degree. However, you may find that some doors are closed to you as a result of lacking that degree. Aviation is a challenging and competitive industry, and there are many hurdles for you to overcome no matter what. It would be terribly unfortunate to find yourself at 30-35 years old desperately wishing you had that on your resume.

I'm not going to tell you that you MUST get a 4 year degree, but you would be wise to give it serious consideration. Remember also that college isn't about the facts and information you get. It's about the maturity, life experience, new perspectives, and sense of accomplishment you get from going through with it. In any event, I doubt very seriously that you would ever find yourself regretting the experience 10, 15, or 20 years from now. On the other hand, if you don't go......

Think about it! Keep doing your homework, talk to many pilots, and don't exclude any possibility at this point in your life. Good luck!

Answer 5

Yes and no.

It is true that airlines prefer you to have some college, so an associates degree is definately a good idea. But it may not be enough. Most major airlines prefer you to have  a bachelors degree, and will most likely pick the pilot with the bachelors degree than the one with the associates (with same amount of experience and hours).

Getting your bachelors degree shows that you have the drive to stick through things for long periods, and thats something they want. Not to mention the so called "college education".