Can I still become a pilot without 4 years of high school?
Posted by ebony-zion-6749@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 30 comments
I want to be a pilot but am currently debating if I should continue high school. If I drop out of high school and get my GED will I still be able to accomplish my dream of being a pilot??
Street_Hour_4747@reddit
Agree with just about every comment to the OP. Have you considered that you can start the process of becoming a private/glider pilot now while you’re still in high school? Why dropout? If it’s because you heard that some guy on the internet is claiming they know “someone” who got to the left seat with only a GED and that’s your plan, odds are not in your favor. Assuming you want to become an airline pilot and you are in the US, you should get a 1st class medical and take a discovery flight while also researching COST(can you afford flight training & the years of low pay as a low time commercial pilot/CFI?). Tenacity, hard work, networking and some lucky timing are also involved so you should also plan to get a bachelors’s degree since you can’t guarantee your luck in timing an airline job in this very cyclical aviation industry. Oh and definitely learn how to learn! Wishing you Blues skies ahead
helno@reddit
Why would you drop out of high school just to get a GED?
Anyone can become a pilot but lots of things affect your future ability to get a job.
canuck791@reddit
I mean I kinda get it. I will be honest I fucked the dog in HS. And if I knew it didn't matter I would have dipped in Gr9 and just done a GED and started flight training then.
I can't tell you much of anything I learned from 13-17 other than maybe showing up on time and how to be a good team mate/work ethic. Academics? Yeah, I was dumb and a C student at best.
Neither-Way-4889@reddit
These are very important and useful skills, especially for pilots
canuck791@reddit
True, but debatable that it's required to get a job. Based on a lot of guys I've worked with... lol
MyPilotInterview@reddit
I the 5 years I can count on one hand how many guys with GEDs I got a top job, most of them would be a podcast episode as their journey is so unique and interesting. None of them went to Delta at 2,200 hours.
Mundane-Reality-7770@reddit
The journey probably killed in interviews.
TripNo1876@reddit
Do not drop out of high school. Finish and get your diploma. It matters.
Biker1124@reddit
It also is a lot easier than the GED
JPower96@reddit
You could certainly become a private pilot, i.e. fly for fun, but I think that would greatly hinder your shot at a career, if that's what you mean. A college degree is a sort of soft, requirement for airlines, that at various times in the past has become a hard requirement.
canuck791@reddit
Yes, but you'll be fighting to be hired against people with HS.
Mad_Rooster_7164@reddit
Minutes after you post this, you put up a drug related post.
You might not be cut out for aviation.
CaptMcMooney@reddit
why would you drop out to get GED?? if you can't handle highschool what makes you think you can make it thru pilot training
SubstantialTaro743@reddit
Context clues matter, it’s the month before may and I imagine all around the country many high school seniors are celebrating their impending graduation. A small few number of those are having or are about to have the “You won’t graduate on time.” Talk For a various number of reasons. If you’re in that camp I’d say no you won’t be successful dropping out and becoming a pilot. Successfully completing a ged and getting accepted to a college you plan to intend for virtually any degree is a step in the right direction, but if you can do that then I gotta ask why you’re dropping out.
You’re young and I’m not trying to embarrass you so don’t take the above too hard, but it’s okay to not have your life fully figured out when you’re a teenager just work to better yourself everyday and make progress in your own time.
If on the other hand you think you have everything figured out and can take shortcuts to where you want to be you probably can’t.
Good luck, blue skies and tailwinds.
waIterwhyte@reddit
Dude, just finish high school.
UNDR08@reddit
Don’t be a quitter. Finish high school, it’s not hard man.
tincancan15@reddit
Technically yes. However, realistically, not really. As a matter of fact, as a bachelor's degree holder, lately I've been seeing another trend that's worrying me. In the job posts, I'm seeing the 4 year college requirement is starting to become "aviation related degree" so looks like not only a college degree is a hard requirement, the industry may be moving towards a specialized college degree on top of licenses and ratings.
flynryan692@reddit
I have a friend who dropped out of high school and got his GED. He’s a captain on the Airbus today.
Harry73127@reddit
High school is literally the easiest milestone you can achieve in modern life. You are doomed to fail if you don’t finish
Key_Math8192@reddit
You might be shocked to find out how much leaning is done on the ground every step of the way to becoming a working pilot. Books, online classes, whiteboards with an instructor, math, physics, and so, so much memorization. Like, many hours of ground study for every hour in the air. And also, multiple choice and verbal tests. If you can’t do high school, you probably can’t do this. I don’t know your situation, but learn how you learn while the help is free. That might mean talking to school counselors or finding the right teachers, but try.
flyghu@reddit
Become a pilot? Yes, without a doubt. Fly for a living at a major airline? While not an absolute no, it's unlikely enough to be a practical no. Odds jump up to yes again if you can get one of your parents to become CEO of a major airline.
bikemusher@reddit
Rated Pilot- yes….employed as a pilot? Not likely
ltcterry@reddit
Define “be a pilot?”
You can become a Private Pilot in a glider at 16 while a high school student.
If you want to be competitive for an airline career you need a four-year degree. At that point a GED would be immaterial.
retiredaaer@reddit
You do not need a degree to be a pilot. You DO need one to get hired by a major airline (in most cases)
flyingforfun3@reddit
I had a friend drop out and get a ged. He still went to college and got a bachelors while learning to fly.
If you can’t get through this, how do you expect to get through training? It takes discipline and motivation.
chocolate_asshole@reddit
finish school if you can, aviation companies still like diplomas, job hunting is hell
TxAggieMike@reddit
Speaking for USA…
Private pilot through commercial pilot and instructor, the level of secondary education IS NOT part of the requirements or standards. So yes, a GED can work.
However, employment at the “big time” employers such as the Part 121 airlines may require higher level of education such as a bachelor’s degree.
Ok_Witness179@reddit
Technically, yes- high school or GED are not prerequisites for becoming a pilot.
Realistically speaking- probably not. Becoming a pilot is definitely more difficult than finishing high school.
ResilientBiscuit@reddit
When you say "be a plot" do you mean to fly for the airlines? Or to just be able to fly a plane for recreation? Or to find some minimum wage job flying survey flights?
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I want to be a pilot but am currently debating if I should continue high school. If I drop out of high school and get my GED will I still be able to accomplish my dream of being a pilot??
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