Introduction

[JohnG-LA-509]

Hi

My name is John Guidry. I am 19 years old and live in Lafayette, Louisiana. Both my father and grand-father were in the U.S. Air Force and I have always had a passion for flight. I recently flew to Australia and realized that I might be able to persue a career in aviation. I hope to start my flight training later this year or early next year.

[JohnG-LA-509]

Hi Todd

I was wondering how important it is to have a college degree as I start out. Is it possible to get a job without one? I know you must have a degree for the major airlines but what about the regional carriers? This seems to be the biggest question my parents have. They both know a couple of pilots in the major airlines and will only listen to them as far as their job requirments.

Thanks

John

P.S. You wouldn't happen to know how many pilots without a degree were hired by regional airlines last year would you?

[SkyWest Todd]

Hi John,
It sounds like aviation runs deep in your heritage. I'm sure you're father and grandfather could give you some great advice. If they are available, that is typically a great and trustworthy wealth of knowledge you can tap in to.
You are at a great age to begin pursuit of your career. Do you plan to go to college? (I would recommend it if you aren't already planning on it.) Have you been up flying much in a small plane? I'm guessing with pilots in your family, you have probably flown a little bit.
I can tell you that the training you will receive at ATP will be the most efficient and quality training you can receive. It is streamlined and designed to get your ratings to be a commercial pilot in a short amount of time. Some may ask... Ya, but is the quality there? You need to know that at ATP it is a 7 day per week school. As an instructor, I sometimes worked 18 hour days. 12 hours were fairly common and 10 was about average. The course is for those who are serious and determined to make it to the airlines.
I would encourage you to check out other flight schools and compare them for yourself. Don't just take my word for it. Investigate as many schools as you can. Ask the other schools and more importantly, if you can talk to the students, ask them about the training.
Was it on schedule? Are they on budget? Do the instructors have time to help with concerns? Are there any hidden pitfalls that weren't advised prior to the training? Etc..... Have a list of questions and research them all. I have no doubt that it will lead you back to ATP.
I did that myself and every time I thought another flight school was looking better, I either didn't believe the recruiter or the facts didn't support what I wanted in a flight school.
I had my private license prior to enrolling at ATP. I finished my training in 92 days, didn't go a Penney over budget, was hired back as an instructor for ATP, and had an airline job 10 months after I began my training with ATP.
The jobs are somewhat variable these days. The airline industry is a very fluid beast at times. I'm sure the jobs will be there in the near future.
Anyway, nice to meet you and I look forward to helping you as you research aviation and the career that is waiting for you.
Talk to you soon,
Todd

[SkyWest Todd]

Hi John,
I would highly recommend getting your degree prior to going into the airlines. Several of the regional airlines do not require it but most if not all of the majors do require a degree.
If you have a medical event in your life that would not allow you to fly commercially, you would really need that degree to fall back on. You would also need it to go to the majors as well as most administrative positions in the regionals.
Anyway, in a nutshell.... You could probably get a job at a regional without one but not have the ability to move on to the majors. If you couldn't fly for some unforeseen reason, you wouldn't have anything to fall back on.
As for how many were hired without a degree..... I have no idea and I'm not sure of any way to track that.
Talk to you later,
Todd