Opportunity to get a free Masters. Already have a Bachelor’s in Aviation. What would you suggest?

Posted by Interested-Investor@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 11 comments

Hello all,

Currently working as a flight instructor and I have the opportunity to get a free masters degree. What would you recommend getting it in?

My goal is to study something that will help me have a backup job in the event I can no longer pursue aviation. Right now I’m lightly interested in MBA, MPA, and masters in economics… but can be convinced of anything

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Herkdrvr@reddit

MS in Data Science. You could leverage that toward machine language / AI in the future.

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The_Duke_of_DNiYM@reddit

I’m in IT. The future is looking bleak for anyone who doesn’t eat sleep and live the occupation. Ageism is a huge problem as well. Once you hit 40, you’re an old dog at that point. So as a fallback, that’s iffy.

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Briflyguy@reddit

When landing new roles, it should look like a path that the hiring manager can follow. How did this person get from point X (previous roles) to point Y (current role) and does it make sense to go from point Y to point Z (new role).

Backup roles such as transitioning to airline management are hops and skips down the path, and can make sense with the right experiences, so yes, that MBA fits that plan. Using the masters to get a job in something that is a leap from where you are now, is likely too much for a hiring manager to stomach. Use that to set expectations for what you want to get out of the masters program.

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stickJ0ckey@reddit

Cybersecurity. With all the junk code that's being pumped by "AI" into all businesses rn, this will be... let's say interesting 😄

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findquasar@reddit

I wouldn’t get an Aviation Safety degree, but something more broad like Occupational Safety would allow you to build on your aviation experience towards something outside of the industry.

So that would be stuff like risk management, regulatory compliance, etc. Aviation has all of those things, but so do many other industries.

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Spiritual_Ad5511@reddit

Go for it, might add +0.1 points on a legacy app down the line. Even if not, if you ever work overseas those airlines love extra qualifications and titles.

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i_own_5_cats@reddit

messed up knees here, flying career died quick. wish i’d done something like data / stats / comp sci. that stuff travels well job wise. anything decent is hiring slow now though, really hard out there

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Mustang_289@reddit

I have an MBA. It was a back up plan, and like you I didn’t pay anything for it besides time. It was an easy degree, but without networking and utilizing it, it’s pretty worthless. It looks nice framed up on my wall I guess. Just my two cents.

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MeatServo1@reddit

Something not aviation related to diversify yourself both academically and in real life. History, TEFOL, a teaching credential, MBA. Something that broadens your horizons.

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

Hello all,

Currently working as a flight instructor and I have the opportunity to get a free masters degree. What would you recommend getting it in?

Please downvote this comment until it collapses.

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AutoModerator@reddit

It looks like you're asking about getting a college degree.

A degree never hurts, get one if you can afford it. Whether it is required today or not, it may be required tomorrow. And the degree can be in anything, the major isn't that important.

Please read our FAQ, which has a ton of information and wisdom about becoming a pilot, including advice on college.

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