“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

If you’re at those crossroads, waiting for high school to finish or in a frenzy trying to figure out what you want to do with your life after completing college, know that life in the sky is a highly rewarding and enjoyable way to spend your professional life.

However, frankly speaking, a career in commercial aviation isn’t for everybody, and only the most dedicated individuals who are willing to put it on the line and find success.

Here’s what you should consider before making up your mind about working in the aviation industry as a commercial pilot.

Related: What Education Do I Need to Be an Airline Pilot?

Apply Yourself 110%
It is absolutely imperative that you enter this industry only if you are passionate about flying. Be prepared to run into debt and work at least a few years while getting by on minimal wages (by flying standards anyway). To be honest, the sheer love of flying is what keeps most pilots going, especially during the first couple of years.

Without this passion, you’re going to find the glamour factor wearing off quickly – you shouldn’t have to end up wasting years of your life where you could have done something more productive, not to mention the debt you might accrue in the process. That is a place you do not want to find yourself.

However, if you’re willing to put it on the line and bear with “humble beginnings” for the first few years and absolutely love airplanes and flying, this is where you want to be.
Get a Degree in a Non-aviation Field

Since you’re looking to become a pilot, it only makes perfect sense to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation, right? Not quite. You need to consider the possibility of getting furloughed at some point in your career, because you just never know. The US economy isn’t exactly in the best shape as it is.

For example, you could get a Bachelor’s Degree in Science with a major in Aviation or Aerospace. Many furloughed pilots find themselves more secure and still making money due to their degrees in engineering, nursing, accounting or other timeless “in demand” fields. Here’s a fact: the airline that’s going to hire you really doesn’t care what your major is, as long as it’s a Bachelor’s

Degree from an accredited university.
So get a degree that allows you to branch out a little bit and keep yourself busy as you wait for the furlough to pass.

“Brand Name” Universities Are Not Necessary
Going to a high-cost, highly sought-after brand name university is fine, though don’t expect your career to cover up the cost of getting an expensive education. Receiving a really good education should be one of your highest priorities, but it does not necessarily increase your chances of getting a higher paying job. All pilots have to go through the industry learning curve and as mentioned above, the pay isn’t very high initially.

Pilot salary expectations and career progression has changed markedly in the last 20 years. Though, this is not to say that high-cost universities should be avoided no matter what. If you’re getting generous scholarship money in the process, go for it. But if you find yourself dishing out way more cash to get the education needed to get a job where your earnings may severely fall short, it is best to avoid it. You don’t want to find yourself embroiled in debt at the start of your career.

Again, just to reiterate: airline companies couldn’t be bothered how expensive your Bachelor’s Degree is, as long as it is a legitimate degree.

Unless you have your parents or a family member absorbing college tuition bills, you’re better off going to a university that doesn’t put brand name first. As you may have amassed by now, the first few years working as a pilot are nowhere as glamorous as what you may have visualized or seen in the movies – you’ll have to shoulder a fair amount of flight training load and academic debt in the process. The airline company only requires you to have a degree. That’s that.

Besides, getting a degree from your local state institution will not only be more economical, but also give you better options, since you’re not focusing on an aviation-only or aviation-related degree anyway. Again, debt is your true enemy, avoid it like bad breath!

Choose the Right Flight School

A flight school which is willing to forge a direct path leading to employment in a reputable regional airline company, is the one you want to go for.

For instance, since you’re aiming to become a commercial airline pilot, you need to get “turbojet captain” flight time at the first possible opportunity and find employment in your desired airline company, at the youngest age possible. It’s generally a good idea to avoid low-wage jobs such as a flight instructor.

You’ll come across a handful of flight schools which lay out a direct path to employment in regional airlines, after program completion. Also, some schools will give you a chance to work as a flight instructor after completing program training, if there’s no hiring going on at the regional level. You may want to shortlist these flight schools as you get busy considering which school you’ll be investing your money in, all other factors being equal, that is.

Related: California flying club named to Top 10 flight schools list