Lets talk about accreditation

Ok, so I went to a school in Utica New York for aviation maintenance technology 20 years ago. Name of the school was called Riverside School of Aeronautics. It was approved by the FAA to teach aviation maintenance, had been around since 1966. I remembered students complaining that this was a scam, the owners had previously had a truck driving school some years before.
The way I understood how things worked within this school is SO WHAT? WHO CARES? The bottom line was that they were there to teach you aviation maintenance, and give you tips on how to take the FAA exams so that you could move on to go work in the field. The school was 2000 FAA approved clock hours where you had to PHYSICALLY attend, and if you missed days, you had to make them up at the end of the year, which meant, that would cost you more mula.
I remember guys really freakin out about the school, thinking that they would never get a job, and being quite negative about it. Some even wanted to change horses midstream for a more "Reputeable" school like Embrey Riddle and one particular school in South Carolina.
In the end, the instructors were right. You go with the flow, the school at the time was 10,000 bucks. I understand the same schools today charge 30,000. I had passed the curriculum, and took the FAA exams. It took me a slow start in breaking into aviation. At the time I finished school, PANAM and EASTERN had been laying off, aviation was real SLOW.
I kept my hopes up and never gave up. In 2.5 years later, I managed to land a job in aviation, this after returning to working on board ships to recupe some money and hold steady till aviation opened up. I started aviation on SAIPAN island with Pacific Island Aviation.
Well, that commuter is no longer in service, and my old school in RSA in Utica New York, has been long gone. They moved on to some school in Pompano Beach, Florida and its all a memory now. But, they taught me some good and the instructors were great, and in the end, the end result was I've been in aviation now for the past 20 years (Take away the 2.5 years of unemployment including the year at sea working and saving to pay off student loan which I did successfully.)
So don't listen to BS from people. Stick with your guns and aim for the end result. In the end, the FAA didn't care about your grades or your scores. They only looked for a PASS or a FAIL on your test. Employers could care less about your perfect attendance or your grades in A@P school.

 

Ok...:wavey:

 

In other threads you have expressed great concern over degree cost (it's a big deal for me too). I have to ask myself...."self", I say, "why wouldn't this guy just join the military, learn the trade, save the cash, and have a job while he's at it?"

Just curious.

 

Good point. The truth of the matter is that most jobs in the military are very SPECIALIZED. You don't need radio operators, tank drivers, nuclear and biological and chemical warfare specialist out in the real world. Unfortunatley, when most people join the military, they really don't know what they want to do, secondly, they get placed alot of times by the recruiting office, for slots that they need to fill. And most skills are usually military orientated skills not for much use on the outside, unless you go for military contracts or in government like the DOD. I know alot of guys that "Retrained" after getting out of the military. Utilizing GI benefits or just paying their own way. The military edge in hiring veterans really stems from the fact that he has job experience, knows how to take orders and give them, has usually somewhat better work ethic and he knows he must be in work on time. Kind of a hard thing to teach kids coming out of high school. Ever look at college dorms then compare them to military barracks? You don't see trash and pizza boxes laying around in a barracks.

 

Devil, have you ever walked through a barracks before field day? haha. Honestly though, you are spot on. An individual most select their MOS based on future career options. My five years as a Marine logistician has served me very well. If I was a grunt, it would be a different story. Serving in the military helps set one up for success by giving them the necessary tools to fill their toolbox. It does not teach them how to use each tool to their advantage.