The Importance of a College Degree for Pilots
More people are realizing the importance of a post-secondary education for a successful pilot career. The question for young adults coming out of high school is whether to begin their flight training or to get their degree first.
A degree is not needed to become a professional pilot. The only thing that is required to begin working as a pilot is a Commercial Pilot Licence. This licence can be acquired through your local flight school. However, due to the rising competition of applicants and decrease in demand for pilots, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a high-level pilot job without a post-secondary degree.
Job hunting as a pilot is the same as in any field of career. If you are more educated than other applicants, you will be given preference. A degree is something that will put your application on top of others. It will help put you above the rest of the applicants who have the exact same licencing and number of logged flying hours as you.
One thing that people misunderstand is the subject of study you take on in college. Considering that all of your required flight training will be completed in flight school, it does not necessarily matter what kind of degree you graduate with. People incorrectly assume that they must study something related to pilots in college such as Aviation, Geomatics, or Mathematics. While graduating from these majors will be benefitial to your career, it is not necessarily a deciding factor in your job applications. You could study English, Philosophy, History, or any other subject completely irrelevant to a pilot career and it would not matter. The big point to take away is that it is the degree in itself that will be valuable to your career, not the subject in which you studied.
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Employers like to see further education. A person who has a degree is perceived to be more valuable to the company. More life experience, more knowledge, and a more educated mind are considered important when selecting job candidates. Of course, for pilot jobs, the licences, flying experience, and flight exam scores will be the most important factors. The degree just helps you rise above the other applicants with the same pilot credentials as you.
Having your degree will prove most advantageous when you are moving up in your career and applying to bigger pilot jobs. It will be most helpful to your job search especially after getting your Airline Transport Pilot Licence and you begin to apply to airline pilot jobs. Airlines are known to give preference to pilots with a degree or diploma.
Getting your degree is an important process in the growth of your pilot career. It will help you during the late stages of your career after you have experience and begin applying to higher pilot positions. That does not necessarily mean that a pilot without a degree will not be successful. Your flight training and pilot credentials are most important. However, a degree is proving to be considered increasingly helpful and valuable to the growth and success of a pilot.
Mark Bascug - retired pilot