i would liek pursue a career in aviation, please give your opinions?

i am currently in the last year of school . i would like to become a commercial pilot . but i've recently had doubts of the scope that the aviation industry would have in the next ten yrs(which presume would be the average time for me to get a cpl). is it a good idea to get a degree in aviation as soon as i am done with school . should i opt for another alternative degree before gettin into aviation , incase i don't make it out as a pilot? what other courses would be ideal to secure a job.

Public Comments

1. Many airline pilots are ex-military (i.e. air force, navy). I don't know how you feel about that course of action, but it seriously enhances commercial interest. If you were to get into the commercial industry, it would be with a small, lesser known company. Corporations like Delta, United, American, etc. are not going to put their trust in a pilot without knowing that pilot can do the job right 99.9999% of the time. You could look into aircraft mechanics as a backup.
2. you'd better be aware that there are many jobless commercial pilots world wide. the competition to land a good job is toughest and you're not paid well (considering the expenses you've spent on training and studies and sim training) unless of course you land a job on major airline (big ones) operators. most airline operators require a certain flight hours accomplished before they hire someone. yet if you have the financial resources to pursue what you love most to do and achieve to get an ATPL license then go for it... but be very wise in the long run to project and see the demands in the aviation industry and be very pragmatic and be wisely see it if you'll get the "returns" - of all the expenses you have incurred to get such license and top rating. other options for you in line of aviation universally the ones in frequent demand are: aircraft cabin mechanics aircraft engineer aircraft systems engineer quality control inspectors (a/c) flight dispatchers Airframe & Engine Technician try to post your query on http://www.pprune.org/forums/ to get more advice and tips from pilots worldwide i hope this helps. good luck!
3. I think that if you want to pursue a career as a commercial (and by commercial I'm going to assume you mean airline pilot) pilot then by all means go for it! No matter how the industry looks or what the forecast for pilot jobs is expected to be, there will always be jobs for pilots. My advice will take you along a couple paths: Go to a 2 or 4 year school for a professional pilot program or you can earn your Private Pilot's License and build your hours and your ratings from there (takes alot longer this way). I think your best choice would be to attend a school that offers a degree for pilots. I believe most 4 year, and even some 2 year, will land you with a Commercial Multi Engine license with an Instrument rating upon graduation. Along the way you should have also earned your CFI, which is your Certified Flight Instructor license and allows you to teach. Using this you can accumulate hours teaching while in school and after. Once you have a certain number of hours ( airlines have different requirements, with some at 500 (ASA) and most around 1,000 hours) you can apply to start flying right seat in a turbo prop for a small airline. Once you've built hours and have attained a turbine rating, you can move to left seat or even start flying on a jet powered aircraft. The thing about a pilot career ,though, is this: It's all about seniority and experience. You'll start at the bottom of the ladder and must work to get to the top. It can take alot of time if you're ultimate goal is to be a United Airlines captain flying a 747-400 on lucrative routes. It's worth waiting for if you ask me=) I'll provide you with some links of a few schools with good pilot programs. Good luck!
4. Think about this. Some day you will be lying on your death bed thinking about the life you lived. Do you want to say you wish that you'd done this or seen that?