What degree should I take to become a pilot?
Thank you for trusting us to give you advice about such an important aspect of your life.
Do you need a degree to become a pilot?
Completing a degree before you become a pilot is probably more a thing in the US than in Europe. In Europe, you don’t generally need a degree before you become a pilot but in the US some airlines do still require a degree if you want to work those specific airlines.
On your way to becoming a pilot, the most important ingredient (apart from money) is probably resilience and not a degree. You will (and this is not to take the motivation away from you) encounter multiple setbacks along the way.
We also think that this is something you need to accept and be aware of. The aviation industry is changing very rapidly so good advice given today might not be good tomorrow. You will probably find a lot of opinionated experienced pilots telling you to do exactly this and that because that is what they believe is right. When building your career as a pilot it is about what is right for you and not what others are telling you.
How you can build your pilot career
There will be multiple ways you can plan your career but try to follow a route that really interests you. One thing we usually ask aspiring pilots is – what type of flying would you like to do? A lot have not really thought about it and their passion to become a pilot is often linked to a childhood dream or an imagination of what the job is like. We think this is a little dangerous and possibly also irresponsible when you think about how much of your time and money you are likely to invest.
We think you will be able to come up with a much better plan once you have defined your long-term goals. If you have a plan right now and this is based on thorough research of the alternatives, then go for it. If it is merely something you think might work for you, then we would advise you to get back to the drawing board and ensure you have looked at all alternatives.
We hold no personal preference as to which degree you go for, all we would state is that people tend to get good results if they are committed to what they are doing and it interests them.
Here is a video you might find helpful:
Good luck and happy landings
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