Seeking Advice on Aviation Career Path

J

JS51

Filing Flight Plan
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Mar 12, 2025
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JS51
Hi Everyone,

I'm currently in high school wrapping up my junior year and I'm pretty set on pursuing a career in aviation. I'm a good student and I'm looking for advice on how to start the next chapter of my life. If I have understood correctly, basically the three main options are: to go directly to a flight school, go through the military (which I would prefer not to do), and go to a university (the airlines are my final goal at them moment).

I want to go to university as a backup plan in case aviation doesn't work out for me later on and, well, college sounds like it can be a lot of fun and create thousands of memories! My parents are both teachers, so they're really pushing for university which is good (especially considering I have a decent chance at getting some good scholarships). I'm not sure about going to university FOR a pilot program though, because I've heard mixed things about them. I have heard from some professionals that they have gone to university and completed their flight training on the side? Is that possible? Is it recommended? Or is it better (or even possible!) to go directly to a flight school and then pursue a degree? which I assumed isn't likely because you would already have a job and have almost no time, I could very much be mistaken though haha. I am really not sure! Price is another thing I am worried about, but I know I will love this as a career and the money won't stop me from achieving or considering anything.

Basically I am really on the fence on deciding what to do after I graduate next year and turning to this forum for advice. For people who have flying as their career, How did you guys go about your training? What did you do? What would you recommend? Any tips or experiences would be super helpful!

Thanks a lot!
 
Lots of options. You could go to a technical school and get your pilot ratings, with credits transferable to a university if you want the four-year degree. You could go to a four-year college program and get a degree with aviation, or aviation management or other associated specialties. Or a degree in something else but learn to fly on the side. For years, the airlines wanted you to have a four-year degree. And of course, there is the requirement for a certain number of flight hours, which is less if you attend a four-year aviation program.

If there is a flight school near you, they can advise. Here in Wisconsin, the tech schools are popular but there is a two-year wait to get into the aviation programs.
 
Small mom and pop training, make friends and network, also always volunteer to help turn a wrench, be hungry for it
 
JS51 said:
Hi Everyone,

I'm currently in high school wrapping up my junior year and I'm pretty set on pursuing a career in aviation. I'm a good student and I'm looking for advice on how to start the next chapter of my life. If I have understood correctly, basically the three main options are: to go directly to a flight school, go through the military (which I would prefer not to do), and go to a university (the airlines are my final goal at them moment).

I want to go to university as a backup plan in case aviation doesn't work out for me later on and, well, college sounds like it can be a lot of fun and create thousands of memories! My parents are both teachers, so they're really pushing for university which is good (especially considering I have a decent chance at getting some good scholarships). I'm not sure about going to university FOR a pilot program though, because I've heard mixed things about them. I have heard from some professionals that they have gone to university and completed their flight training on the side? Is that possible? Is it recommended? Or is it better (or even possible!) to go directly to a flight school and then pursue a degree? which I assumed isn't likely because you would already have a job and have almost no time, I could very much be mistaken though haha. I am really not sure! Price is another thing I am worried about, but I know I will love this as a career and the money won't stop me from achieving or considering anything.

Basically I am really on the fence on deciding what to do after I graduate next year and turning to this forum for advice. For people who have flying as their career, How did you guys go about your training? What did you do? What would you recommend? Any tips or experiences would be super helpful!

Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
It sounds like you've been thinking about a lot of the things that are recommended.

It behooves you to have a bachelor's degree in *something*. Doesn't matter what. The conventional wisdom is for that something to NOT be in aviation, so that if you get hit by one of the many downturns this industry has, you have something you can fall back on. Consider what you might want for side gigs, too, and what degrees might help you there.

You do NOT need to go to a university aviation program or a big corporate flight school like ATP. In fact, they're best avoided ($$$$). Anyone who wants large sums ($10K+) up front, run. You do get some benefits from a university aviation program in terms of lower flight time necessary to get an airline job, at least in theory (look up Restricted ATP), but if you start now you should be able to build 1500 hours of flight time by the time you graduate from college anyway.

With the above two paragraphs in mind, the bonus is that you don't need to wait until you're done with high school to start. You can take flight lessons at any age, you can solo an airplane at 16 and you can get your private pilot certificate at 17, Commercial pilot certificate at 18 (which lets you get paid to fly, with limitations), and Airline Transport Pilot certificate at 21. So, if you get your Private and Instrument before you graduate, and get your Commercial and Certified Flight Instructor certificates as soon as you're 18, you'll be able to go off to college and work at a flight school building hours while you're in college, which should put you in good shape to get a job when you graduate.

You mention fun in college. Yes, college is fun, but you MUST be smart. There are things that people like to do in college that can forever ruin your aviation career. Drugs, drunk driving and such must be avoided at all costs. Alcohol is OK if you don't get in trouble for it - IE, wait until you're 21, NEVER drive or fly after drinking any amount, and don't provide alcohol for parties once you do turn 21.

If you don't want to go to the military, don't. It's a big commitment, and unlike the old days, probably will be less beneficial than other methods.

If you tell us roughly where you're located, we can probably point you to a small flight school to take a discovery flight, which is your first flight lesson and can be logged toward the necessary experience for your future ratings.
 
Most airlines will want to see a college degree in something, anything, just to weed out the pool of applicants. So it behooves you to get a degree in something you will enjoy in case flying doesn't work out... remember, as a pilot you're only one medical exam away from the unemployment line. College aviation programs are usually very overpriced and no better than the mom and pop flying school, and you can take flying lessons from a small school while you're in college. If you're like me you may even find that what you're studying in college (engineering in my case) makes for a more rewarding career than aerial bus driving; I still fly for fun. And if you have ANY medical or legal issues in your past (depression, ADHD/meds, etc., or drugs/DUI), get advice BEFORE gong to that medical exam.
 
You don't specifically mention that you want to be a pilot. There are many career paths that are aviation related. Aviation requires every kind of skill you can imagine. It's good to be skilled in more than one. As said aviation has large swings. Airlines are just one of many places you can make an aviation career at. If its pilot you set your sights on, then make sure you have other skills you can make a living at, you WILL need them. It's a very rare pilot who never needs to make a living doing something else. As for pilot (and other crew members). Would you like to live a lonely life? You need to be part gypsy, you will live out of a suit case. Are you ok with the thought of spending 2 weeks on assignment half way around the world, that turns into 2 years. All while your family is at home living life, without you. Your wife always attends social events alone, because your always working half way around the world when they happen.
Sounds glamourous, but it can wear on you and your personal life. AIDS is a thing. "Airline Induced Divorce Syndrome"! It can be great, and even with all the downturns, I wouldn't do anything else. Although I have had too at times. I was a career pilot, and also an A&P mechanic. I spent years wrenching, not just on airplanes. Sometimes that wasn't available. Spent a few years as a department manager at an airline. Ran a used car lot, and flipped houses for a living. I'm the proverbial jack of all trades. You need to be, in this business. So make sure you have other skills to fall back on. Get the degree, be hungry about airplanes, get other skills as well. Enjoy living on the back side of the clock someplace other than home, with only strangers to associate with. It's a life nobody understands, unless you have lived "the life". If you take to it, it can be great. If you don't, it can be a lonely miserable existence. Don't pass on the college. Learn some skills too. Earn your ratings at the same time if you can.
 
40%+ of people in college or university don't graduate.

Also a career in aviation is hard on a home life / marriage. Mechanics work nights and pilots are away from home for days on end.

A pilot can make serious money... but not by staying home. Same for MX. you can easily pass $100k+ a year but you're gonna do it at night.
 
Here is my path. I went to college, initially to be a pilot but then switched Aviation Management. I have a career in Airport Management, which isn't that bad. I get to be around airplanes everyday and am still home at night.

Although I did get one piece of advice from someone which is great in hindsight, I should have done something different that would have allowed me to afford to play in aviation rather than work in it.
 
College towns are where the real action’s at, ditch the dorms, plant yourself in the thick of it, and hit the bars where life actually happens. Screw the overhyped college expense. I did this and it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

The whole system’s a racket, and thank Christ airlines finally woke up and stopped demanding some useless degree, though don’t bet on that lasting forever. If you’re stuck playing their game, do it smart: squeeze out that degree fast and cheap.

Go for something that’ll actually pay, two years in welding, HVAC, or nursing beats the hell out of four years of debt and theory.

Stack your flight hours like battle scars, many online schools can credit it “life experience,” and muscle your way as far into the bloated four year scam as you can.

Finish it off with the cheapest online courses that still somehow carry a seal of approval. Get in, get out, and live your damn life.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
It sounds like you've been thinking about a lot of the things that are recommended.

It behooves you to have a bachelor's degree in *something*. Doesn't matter what. The conventional wisdom is for that something to NOT be in aviation, so that if you get hit by one of the many downturns this industry has, you have something you can fall back on. Consider what you might want for side gigs, too, and what degrees might help you there.

You do NOT need to go to a university aviation program or a big corporate flight school like ATP. In fact, they're best avoided ($$$$). Anyone who wants large sums ($10K+) up front, run. You do get some benefits from a university aviation program in terms of lower flight time necessary to get an airline job, at least in theory (look up Restricted ATP), but if you start now you should be able to build 1500 hours of flight time by the time you graduate from college anyway.

With the above two paragraphs in mind, the bonus is that you don't need to wait until you're done with high school to start. You can take flight lessons at any age, you can solo an airplane at 16 and you can get your private pilot certificate at 17, Commercial pilot certificate at 18 (which lets you get paid to fly, with limitations), and Airline Transport Pilot certificate at 21. So, if you get your Private and Instrument before you graduate, and get your Commercial and Certified Flight Instructor certificates as soon as you're 18, you'll be able to go off to college and work at a flight school building hours while you're in college, which should put you in good shape to get a job when you graduate.

You mention fun in college. Yes, college is fun, but you MUST be smart. There are things that people like to do in college that can forever ruin your aviation career. Drugs, drunk driving and such must be avoided at all costs. Alcohol is OK if you don't get in trouble for it - IE, wait until you're 21, NEVER drive or fly after drinking any amount, and don't provide alcohol for parties once you do turn 21.

If you don't want to go to the military, don't. It's a big commitment, and unlike the old days, probably will be less beneficial than other methods.

If you tell us roughly where you're located, we can probably point you to a small flight school to take a discovery flight, which is your first flight lesson and can be logged toward the necessary experience for your future ratings.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the detailed advice! I really appreciate it.

I agree that having a bachelor's degree in another field makes a lot of sense, especially as a backup plan. I have been and will continue to look at all universities in general. Again thank you so much for your response, its really good advice! I am aware that college gives a lot of freedoms and many people aren't responsible with them, but yes it is very important to not throw your future away for engaging in such activities. I live in north Fulton County in GA, about 30 minutes from PDK. I will definitely look for some stuff around and thanks again it was very useful!
 
Oldmanb777 said:
You don't specifically mention that you want to be a pilot. There are many career paths that are aviation related. Aviation requires every kind of skill you can imagine. It's good to be skilled in more than one. As said aviation has large swings. Airlines are just one of many places you can make an aviation career at. If its pilot you set your sights on, then make sure you have other skills you can make a living at, you WILL need them. It's a very rare pilot who never needs to make a living doing something else. As for pilot (and other crew members). Would you like to live a lonely life? You need to be part gypsy, you will live out of a suit case. Are you ok with the thought of spending 2 weeks on assignment half way around the world, that turns into 2 years. All while your family is at home living life, without you. Your wife always attends social events alone, because your always working half way around the world when they happen.
Sounds glamourous, but it can wear on you and your personal life. AIDS is a thing. "Airline Induced Divorce Syndrome"! It can be great, and even with all the downturns, I wouldn't do anything else. Although I have had too at times. I was a career pilot, and also an A&P mechanic. I spent years wrenching, not just on airplanes. Sometimes that wasn't available. Spent a few years as a department manager at an airline. Ran a used car lot, and flipped houses for a living. I'm the proverbial jack of all trades. You need to be, in this business. So make sure you have other skills to fall back on. Get the degree, be hungry about airplanes, get other skills as well. Enjoy living on the back side of the clock someplace other than home, with only strangers to associate with. It's a life nobody understands, unless you have lived "the life". If you take to it, it can be great. If you don't, it can be a lonely miserable existence. Don't pass on the college. Learn some skills too. Earn your ratings at the same time if you can.
Click to expand...
Okay I see. I am taking an internship at an airport for something about aircraft mechanics near me next year just to get involved and be more exposed to the aviation community! Thank you for your recommendation and experiences I really appreciate it; with the bad parts too, it creates a more realistic point of view!
 
Oldmanb777 said:
You don't specifically mention that you want to be a pilot. There are many career paths that are aviation related. Aviation requires every kind of skill you can imagine. It's good to be skilled in more than one.
Click to expand...
@JS51 it looks like you might also be interested in swinging wrenches. That's an excellent thing to learn even if you want to be a pilot - You'll probably be better with aircraft systems knowledge than others, and if you fly for fun, being able to work on your own plane makes it far more affordable. More below.

Oldmanb777 said:
As for pilot (and other crew members). Would you like to live a lonely life? You need to be part gypsy, you will live out of a suit case. Are you ok with the thought of spending 2 weeks on assignment half way around the world, that turns into 2 years. All while your family is at home living life, without you. Your wife always attends social events alone, because your always working half way around the world when they happen.
Click to expand...
That does not need to be true. I don't know of any job where you would unexpectedly get stuck halfway around the world for two years other than military, and even then they'll know they're deploying in advance. If you get the option to live elsewhere for a couple of years, that can be good for your family too! I lived overseas for a year growing up and it was a great experience.

Yes, most pilot jobs will require some travel, but being a pilot doesn't mean you must be traveling all the time. There are plenty of small corporate gigs that will let you do most of your flying on weekday, out-and-back style trips. They don't pay nearly as well for obvious reasons, but you do have the ability to choose between money and quality of life. There is no reason you can't be a pilot AND have a family. Marry the right person, though!

Oldmanb777 said:
Don't pass on the college. Learn some skills too. Earn your ratings at the same time if you can.
Click to expand...
Between this ^^^
and this vvvv

Roller said:
Go for something that’ll actually pay, two years in welding, HVAC, or nursing beats the hell out of four years of debt and theory.
Click to expand...
One thing that might be useful is to go to school to become an aircraft mechanic (A&P) first, and see how much of it you can get to transfer to a four-year school. In any case, starting with a community college can save you a pile of money.

Roller said:
The whole system’s a racket, and thank Christ airlines finally woke up and stopped demanding some useless degree, though don’t bet on that lasting forever.
Click to expand...
There's plenty of places asking for a degree again. It's a very easy way to ensure that the people you're hiring can deal with some BS and be trained to a standard.
 
What Flying Cheesehead wrote is excellent so I won’t rehash it.

I will throw out what I did.
Pump gas at local FBO last 2 years of high school.
Went to local community college while keeping my job and earning ratings.
Went to 4 year university to finish up my engineering degree and started flight instructing at local airport.
After graduation, 5 years at regionals and the rest of my career at major.

I would also at least consider the Air National Guard after college. I think it is an excellent option.
 
I'm still not sold on the need a degree thing. i know lots of lawyers that make less then $50k a year and lots of AnPs that top out at over $150k.

i hated corporate life. politics and ass kissing is not for me. the times I had a manager that had no idea what I did was hilarious and infuriating. whenever they would pester me for updates on why the network/server/production was down my go to answer was 'if we spent the money on x,y,z it would never have happened'
 
pfarber said:
I'm still not sold on the need a degree thing. i know lots of lawyers that make less then $50k a year and lots of AnPs that top out at over $150k.

i hated corporate life. politics and ass kissing is not for me. the times I had a manager that had no idea what I did was hilarious and infuriating. whenever they would pester me for updates on why the network/server/production was down my go to answer was 'if we spent the money on x,y,z it would never have happened'
Click to expand...
You don’t need a degree to fly an airplane but… the majors use it as a weed out. Last few years I know there have been pilots without a degree get hired at the majors but the hiring pendulum is starting to swing. Why not have as many things in your favor as you can and have a degree?

Whether you like it or not, if they see two somewhat similar candidates and one has a degree and the other doesn’t guess which one is getting hired?
 
Like pretty much everything in aviation (and life) there is a time/money continuum.

The fastest and most expensive way is to get your PP in HS and go to an aviation program at a school that is approved for R-ATP. You'll be eligible for an R-ATP at 21 YO and 1000 hours to try to get on a seniority list as soon as possible.

The cheapest way, is to go to a local community college to kick start your degree and a state school for the BS. Start flying at a local Part 61 flight school now and get your ratings/hours. Bonus points for getting an FBO rampie or CSR job (they usually will offer a discount on hours) until you get your CFI.

The big wild card is what will the hiring market look like when you meet minimums. Nobody knows, but it is slowing down for sure. Start networking at your airport yesterday and be better than your competition.
 
Busflyer said:
You don’t need a degree to fly an airplane but… the majors use it as a weed out. Last few years I know there have been pilots without a degree get hired at the majors but the hiring pendulum is starting to swing. Why not have as many things in your favor as you can and have a degree?

Whether you like it or not, if they see two somewhat similar candidates and one has a degree and the other doesn’t guess which one is getting hired?
Click to expand...

Depends on the rest of the resume and how they interview and who does the interview

A ERU 172 CFI - regional - application

Vs

Someone with much more experience
 
Roller said:
Depends on the rest of the resume and how they interview and who does the interview

A ERU 172 CFI - regional - application

Vs

Someone with much more experience
Click to expand...
Which is why I said similar.
 
Since you mention flight training- our EAA chapter just awarded it's Ray Scholarship. We struggle to connect with enough applicants (mult factorial issue we are working on).
Since you found this website, I am sure you can find some local EAA chapters and see what they're up to.

You *might* have just aged out of this program, but check it out and send some emails. Even if you've aged out of this one, ask about others.
 
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