I’m turning 24 and a degree program would require 3-4 years. I have to apply for my dream Job by 30.
Becoming a commercial pilot doesn’t actually require a 3 or 4 year degree, although that’s not a bad idea necessarily. It’s a path involving training, licensing, and developing experience. I would also note that you didn’t say “airline pilot,” and I wonder if your word choice is deliberate. Commercial pilots do things like pipeline surveys, aerial photography, crop dusting, banner towing, traffic reporting, civilian law enforcement-related flying, aerial firefighting, weather-related flying, charter, and some cargo flying (e.g. transplant organ carriage). Many of these roles are being taken over by drones, perhaps remotely piloted. The pilots for the likes of Fedex and UPS are almost always licensed airline pilots, above commercial, except perhaps for some of their feeders.
I think there are two basic ways to make a career out of flying:
1. The military route. Join your nation’s Air Force, learn as much as you can including especially how to manage and mitigate risks (FX trading is not that), and then head to an airline after several years — when and if they’re hiring. One significant downside is that there’s no guarantee this Air Force will even put you in a plane except perhaps as baggage. You might end up doing something else, like driving a fuel truck and attaching fuel hoses to planes that other people fly and maintain. Or attaching and removing things that go boom. These skills aren’t necessarily in as much demand after your military career. The major advantage is there’s no upfront capital required.
2. The civilian route. There are a couple variants. One is to attend a university with a dedicated aviation program, typically in a country with a big general aviation sector, low cost of flying (it’s still expensive), and lots of open airspace. I’m talking about the United States as the best such example. But you could also just go to a non-university flying school and work your way through FAA licensing. You need some decent startup capital for either path (more for the university path), and the university path offers a fallback of a degree, even in something other than aviation or aeronautical sciences if the university is multidisciplinary.
If you’re considering path #2, why don’t you put your name in for the
U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery? DV-2022 should be open next month (October, 2020), and if you win this lottery then you’re eligible for a U.S. green card (Permanent Residence) assuming you can clear the hurdles (criminal background check, enough financial ability to get established, etc.) And if you don’t get a ticket this year, you can try every year. Then the basic idea is you head to the U.S., work full time, live as cheaply as you can, put every spare dollar into flying lessons, and get these licenses/ratings in approximately this order:
private pilot
instrument
multiengine
commercial pilot
flight instructor
Then start instructing and flying charter if it comes up. The pay is typically terrible, the hours can be tough, and your companions may be corn and cows, but it can be an amazing experience for the right person/personality. You build time, behave yourself (e.g. no weed, and very strict rules re: alcohol), then see if a regional cargo or passenger airline carrier job opens up to get you into ATP and type ratings.
Up for it?
