>>1744568I know a few people that recently got hired at regional airlines without a bachelors. All of them are enrolling in a degree program to get to the legacies. One person was in their late 40s. Another guy who came from money is stuck working at regional because he doesn't have a degree. He is working on getting a degree but he would have already been at one.
A simple cost-benefit shows that it is highly lucrative to get a degree. Living in a state with reasonable in-state tuition, a bachelor's will likely cost around $20k. A regional captain might top out at 120K/yr after a decade whereas third year FOs are making that at legacy and major LCCs. A first year captain at majors/legacies are close to $200/yr. So a $20k investment pays off close to $80/yr, just later in life.
Many consider it prudent to have a backup plan since the transportation industry is unstable and especially so with airlines. People bust out of training or have medical issues that ground them.
Personally, I don't understand why anyone would limit their potential earnings and would go all in on such as risky gamble of being a pilot. While getting a degree has many downsides there are numerous long-term benefits. Finally, while there may be a shortage of pilots, there will likely never be a shortage for pilots at legacy airlines or major LCCs. Currently, those ranks are filled with pilots from the military (who have degrees) and the best people from civilian training (degree required).
