Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was raised to believe that you can gain a lot of knowledge whether its at a 4 year, 2 year school, that its a time from growing one's mind. My parents installed in me that you should go to college-- even if you don't want to work in an office and rather use your hands. To this day I still agree.
When you have kids you begin to realize nothing is ever as you plan...lol. My son is 19 and really does not like school. I wish he appreciated learning on an educational sense but really doesn't like it. He wants to be a pilot-- hereditary from my wife's family (its in my FIL's blood). Its his passion. He started college last fall at a university in another state-- and didn't do well. He doesn't like to learn or read, unless its about piloting. Which is fine but you still need at least an AA degree to be a pilot at the commercial level. I'm trying not to worry about it but I just find it frustrating that he's not really interested in college. I'd be fine with the military as well, but he hasn't shown much interest there either.
I know one day he will be a pilot, its his dream and passion. I just wish he had more interest in learning in general. Am I a bad parent? Any thoughts?
Enroll him in "Ground School." He'll need this if he wants to fly, anyway.
The biggest challenge to airlines right now? (AA, Southwest/United et. al.)
Finding candidates that can pass a UDS (urinary drug screen.)
This is a very sad situation, the whole USA finds itself in. Any kind of "safety sensitive" position, where random drug tests occur, is killing a few industries. Transportation is one of 'em. I mean, it's REALLY BAD.
Now, if your kid wants to fly privately, then encourage him. This may be his niche that develops into a career. He'll need 40 hrs "stick time" (20 of those 40, can be done on a simulator.) This saves lots of $$$$. Fuel too.
When flying, the pilot is constantly making calculations for variables. (90% of those variables are weather related.) He may see a practical application to geometry. This is what he needs, to succeed in class. A practical application.
Is he actually interested in the armed forces? If so, help him get in. He'll come back smarter, older and with a few methods to actually go to school if he wants.
But he won't be a military pilot.
I would totally encourage him to try flight school. I'd bring him home, tell him to get a full time job and check on the costs of flight schools in your area.
OP, I’m a tenured full time college professor, teaching Computer Science. Before teaching, I had a successful career in industry.
I see every day kids in college because their parents told them that they needed to be there. So they go to school, but don’t have the self motivation to succeed. Some of them do get by, but I doubt they will have a successful career given their skill base.
We (society as a whole) are doing our children a great disservice with this approach, and the pressure that college is always the right answer. It is not, and is especially not for some who would be better off working for a while and down the road come to the conclusion they want something better - and have a plan to achieve it
If your child has a passion for something - help them achieve it. Yes, that includes getting them to see the realities of what they need to do to get there. But in the end, the drive to do it has to come from them, not you.
Maybe you could tell the OP how your husband did this?
Its no secret way to become a pilot in this case.
And thanks for being impressed... It took many many years to get to this point. And no student debt along the way.
Had a chat this AM w/ a guy on my staff who is a retired airline and .mil pilot. He was confused w/ the college requirements, so I looked it up. Now, its not realistic to walk into a main line airline job without hefty commercial experience, but that is a different topic for a different day. The question here is 'college'. Leads me to believe the OP is more concerned with their views of college, less about the aviation path.
Quote:
United Airlines - First Officer
Job Requirements
We are looking for talented pilot candidates who:
Reflect our leadership qualities, including the ability to model character, think creatively, deliver results and foster teamwork
Share our commitment to the principles of core4 service behaviors: Safe, Caring, Dependable and Efficient
Demonstrate a passion for the industry and a lifelong dedication to excellence and achievement
Certification requirements:
Unrestricted FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with airplane multiengine class rating
Current FAA first-class medical certificate
FCC Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit (RR)
Flight time requirement:
A minimum of 1,500 hours of total time
A minimum of 1,000 hours of fixed wing turbine time
Prefer a minimum of 100 hours of flight time within the last 12 months
General requirements:
Current passport with at least six-months of validity remaining at time of employment.
Legal right to work in the United States without sponsorship
Must be able to travel freely within the United States and without restriction to all countries United serves
High school diploma or GED equivalent Bachelor's degree from accredited college or university is preferred All foreign transcripts need to be evaluated for equivalency to U.S. degrees by a member organization of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) and overall authenticity
International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever (Yellow Card) must be presented to United Airlines within first 10 days of employment at United Airlines.
Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 must be presented to interview with United Airlines and again on the first day of employment. The CDC considers people to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after their second dose of a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
If you are unable to be vaccinated against either COVID-19 or Yellow Fever due to a medical restriction or sincerely held religious belief, you will need to participate in United's Reasonable Accommodation Process (RAP). We are unable to consider you for employment until this process is complete.
Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position. Additionally, we require availability without any planned absences during the first twelve weeks of employment with United Airlines.
At United, we offer a competitive compensation package with benefits including, but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, accident, and disability insurance, employee assistance, paid holidays, defined contribution plan, and travel privileges. Benefits and compensation are governed by the United Pilot Agreement between United and the Air Line Pilots Association.
Wll, we are all bad parents. No one has figured out how to raise the perfect child, well balanced confident but not conceited, loyal, faithful, selfless, hard working, a passion for learning, a passion for helping others, strong sense of family, devoted, honest, honorable, intelligent, thoughtful. . . . .
Nope no one has figured it out at all. No one has even come close.
Not wanting to go to college is not a failure. We have five kids, 3 went to college and did well one kept going and got a PhD. Two started college and hated it a dropped out. One after a month, the other at the end of his fifth year. One now wants to go back. She does not regret quitting at the time, it was not for her then, but now she wants to learn, but slowly. Just one or two classes a year. THe other is doing what he loves. He is changing young people's lives building their confidence, teaching them skills and lessons that will be with them their entire lives. He is happy. Failure?
I was raised to believe that you can gain a lot of knowledge whether its at a 4 year, 2 year school, that its a time from growing one's mind. My parents installed in me that you should go to college-- even if you don't want to work in an office and rather use your hands. To this day I still agree.
When you have kids you begin to realize nothing is ever as you plan...lol. My son is 19 and really does not like school. I wish he appreciated learning on an educational sense but really doesn't like it. He wants to be a pilot-- hereditary from my wife's family (its in my FIL's blood). Its his passion. He started college last fall at a university in another state-- and didn't do well. He doesn't like to learn or read, unless its about piloting. Which is fine but you still need at least an AA degree to be a pilot at the commercial level. I'm trying not to worry about it but I just find it frustrating that he's not really interested in college. I'd be fine with the military as well, but he hasn't shown much interest there either.
I know one day he will be a pilot, its his dream and passion. I just wish he had more interest in learning in general. Am I a bad parent? Any thoughts?
Ok, so if college isn't working then you need to let that go and then HE needs to have a plan on how he gets to where he wants to go.
At age 19 he may be clueless about a lot of aspects so if he says he wants to fly Blimps (just to make up a silly example) then he needs to reach out to guys that fly Blimps and talk to them about what he needs to do to make that happen.
Like music and many other things - you CAN succeed at these fields without a college education - but it's a heckuva lot easier WITH one. To be successful game designer is about the same as saying you want to play pro baseball. Your parents were suggesting that, on the off chance one of those fields don't work out - it wouldn't hurt to keep your day job. Still decent advice. Even you've had great success since then - it doesn't mean your case is typical. Far from it.
That is not at all what my parents were suggesting. They flat out told me that my chosen preferred career was worthless and would not be fulfilling (because to them, only a high paying career or one directly involved in saving lives could be a fulfilling and worthwhile endeavor) and they completely ignored me when I would try to point out anything to the contrary. This is a reality I also saw play out for many of my friends and schoolmates when I was in high school: parents who stubbornly insist that their preferred way of living life is the only way to do things while completely disregarding the fact that their child often has different wants and needs that are just as viable.
Now I'm not at all suggesting that this is what the OP is doing. Their son may just be incredibly stubborn about what they want or, as some have suggested, he might have some sort of learning disability that may preclude him from being a pilot, even with treatment and therapy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
