Higher Study

Which UNIVERSITY DEGREE should you study❓

One of the things I used to ask a lot, particularly to the flying guys at the gliding club I went to (we were only two girls), was which degree should I do in order to pursue this career?

The minimum requirement to be a pilot is 5 GCSEs (a basic high school qualification), but some employers also demand the optional school years in addition. What matters is that you have a good all round education, that if you do study something it’s whatever you’re passionate about, you give it your absolute best, get a good grade in it and do something else (keep reading!).

I genuinely didn’t think I would make it, so I applied for various Product Design degrees. In the last couple of days before the choices were fixed I decided to change one of the Product Design courses to Aviation Technology at Leeds university.

When I visited on the open day, I explained that I already had four years flying experience, I was predicted a mix of B’s and C’s at A-level (below their BBB requirement), but I was doing my best whilst commuting an hour to school, volunteering as a school lifeguard allowing students to swim for an hour before school twice a week, working in a shop 8 hours a week in addition to as a lifeguard in the evenings, as well as continuing to fly. I felt that if I dedicated myself 100% to my A-levels, I could have the potential to gain better grades, but it was important to me to have a varied and interesting CV and I somehow needed to fund my love of flying. It was tiring but I managed. The teachers would tell me I needed to quit before I crash and burn… (and they didn’t intend on the pun). As a bursary scholarship student I was embarrassed and struggled to fit in. I didn’t know a single other person in my year who worked every week on top of school. However, my mum told me “do whatever you want, just get a job and pay for it”. So I did.

With that, I got accepted onto the University of Leeds Aviation Technology with Pilot Studies course with a mix of grade ranging from A to D, - not quite reaching their UCAS points requirement.

 

Steph flying a T-21 glider

  

I opted to choose that course, as for an additional £3000 I could do my PPL as part of the course. Had I paid for my own PPL, it would’ve cost me closer to £9000. I couldn’t see a way that I could quickly get £6000 so I thought it would be the best value as I would only be paying off my student loan fees when I was earning enough money anyway. As it happens, the threshold for paying back is relatively low and sometimes I felt like they had taken back a payment that I would’ve happily spent on flying. Only time would teach me that the course was not at all good value for money. With added interest after all those years the value never seemed to go down until I started throwing money at it last year. In hindsight, I would have been much better off getting a job full-time, working my way to the highest level I could and earning my own money in a profession. Although that being said, I do have a degree, quite a useless degree to be honest as it’s in neither management nor engineering, and after graduating I struggled to get a specific job in the aviation field. So, I worked as Cabin Crew on the fabulous 757-200 and there began a career in aviation.

So if you’re wondering what to study at University, first check the fees. Then, check what the students who graduate from that degree with that exact qualification are most likely to do as a job and how much they will be paid. Next, work out typically how long it’s going to take you to pay off the student loan and if the qualification will be worth it.

Sure, you need an education and some experience, but there are many cheaper ways of doing it than doing a very expensive degree course that’s basically worthless when you finish. If it’s going to take more than 10 years to pay off ask yourself if it’s really worth it. Or, if it’s worth looking into doing a higher level apprenticeship with a company who will pay you your salary and cover the cost of your qualifications. In this situation you still have the opportunity to live with your peers and to move away from home. My current employer has some great positions in this respect and I believe many other airlines do too.

 

PPL Flying

If you still really want to do the degree you’ve chosen for, consider also how you will manage your time to work alongside it to reduce some of the debt and to pay for your flying lessons. If you have the privilege to have a family help you with the enormous cost of flying, please seek out a volunteering role to add to your CV. There are too many disadvantaged people in the world and most universities will give you the opportunity to volunteer with elderly people, blind or deaf people, helping protect vulnerable people at night, children in public care, schools below the poverty line and in the local community. I’ve volunteered in something like 22 different charitable roles to date and would be very happy to guide students with this.