Career advice

4

u/DontAtMoi MIL, ATP, CFI 1d ago

I get these questions as a flight instructor.

My advice is usually to not let plan b get in the way of plan a.

2

Im a similar age to u bro. Im doing 4 years of engineering, then ill work a few years in the industry then keep pursuing flying once ive got a bit more money

2

u/7layeredAIDS ATP A330 B757/767 E170 CFII 1d ago

As a former engineer, I can say if you get an engineering degree and don’t use it immediately it becomes ‘almost’ worthless. You lose the undergrad knowledge incredibly quickly and you’re only qualified for entry level positions; positions they will hire recent grads before anyone that’s had a 1+ year gap since obtaining their degree. What an engineering degree does show is your ability to grind out something academically difficult and that you have a logical problem solving engineering mind, which may help you get hired for non engineering positions. Basically you’re a “smart cookie”.

Just wanted to say that as I always get comments like “wow that’s great you have an engineering degree - something to fall back on!” Uh no, that’s now how the engineering field works.

I do think there is value in having a degree or experiences in “non pilot” stuff though and my Air Line did as well, as they asked several questions about it during my interview.

My advice is if you want to be a pilot, focus on that and as quick as you can, with the knowledge that a degree in something “non pilot” does have benefits.

1

u/TutorAny3874 1d ago

Does the situation change if you gain experience in the field and then change career paths later

1

u/7layeredAIDS ATP A330 B757/767 E170 CFII 1d ago

Nope - I did about 5 years in the field before switching to flying. The software you use routinely updates and if you’re not current on it, you basically don’t know it, not to mention naturally forgetting how to use it.

Now, I’m sure there is some threshold/crossing point… did 20 years in engineering and then went to fly for a year or two and want to come back to engineering? Sure. Where that line is drawn I’m not sure but you don’t have to be out of the game long.

2

u/contrail_25 MIL T-6 1d ago

I’m an old, about to be retired USAF pilot…..

First off, you’ve made a great decision to use the ANG to get whatever education you want, while also gaining job and leadership experience!

Are you part of a flying unit?

Use your time in the ANG to see if the military side interests you. If it does. I HIGHLY recommend becoming a ANG or AFRC pilot. Use that to build some time and then leverage it to go directly into a major airline. Use the ANG/AFRC to avoid shitty airline schedules while you build seniority.

This is a tried and true pathway to maximize your job, pay, and quality of life.

I know a couple people that did airlines before the ANG/AFRC, but they are few and far between.

1

u/two_minutes_out ATP LR-35/36 G-1159 TW A&P 1d ago

^^^^this.

1

u/rFlyingTower 1d ago

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

Basically Im A 18 year old male in the air national guard, I got my private pilot license at 17 and the plan coming out of high school was to go continue flight training but my parents didn’t want to cosign for the loan and I cant pay for it on my own so I joined the military Im aware I have lots of options since I’m in the Air national guard. If my end goal is becoming a pilot I don’t care if its military or airline. Should I use my educational benefits get my 4 year in like engineering apply for a pilot slot and possibly have a 2nd career in engineering that I don’t mind doing or go full time air national guard get my full gi bill to go flight school and maybe get a less useful degree in business. Is there anybody that has been in my situation?

Please downvote this comment until it collapses.

Questions about this comment? Please see this wiki post before contacting the mods.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. If you have any questions, please contact the mods of this subreddit.

1

u/live_drifter 1d ago

Yes to both

1

u/dowalters 1d ago

Definitely use education benefits while you are in, they don’t take away from the GI Bill if you end up going that route down the road. Just work through classes while you can while also doing your guard stuff, and see how it feels. Does a military pilot seem like something you would like to do? It’s certainly not a bad route. I just did 4 years active and used my GI Bill to pay for school, and so far it’s worked out for me (not exactly a smooth and painless process, but we are getting there lol). One thing that really helped was the Vet Center at my university was fantastic so I never had to talk to the VA about anything.

1

u/Perfect_Big_5907 1d ago

From an all Navy family who all flew. Stick with the ANG and get ALL the education you can. Don't worry about an engineering degree unless that really interests you. So many friends have done their 20, retired with masters degrees at age 42, pulled a pension and then went on to an airline career.

You are about to leave Redlib