As the economic recession and downturn in the aviation business continues many AMT’s are asking themselves “What Now?”. As the Program Coordinator of a 14CFR147 Aviation Maintenance Technician School I have been getting lots of phone calls from AMT’s that have been laid off, downsized, or just looking for a way to keep their current job. Jobs are harder to find and with numerous applicants applying for each open position, people are looking for ways to make themselves more marketable than the other “guy”.

Since the school I teach at has been around since the mid 1960’s we have a large alumni. Many are calling to find out what it would take to get their Associate degree or advice on maybe going farther and getting a Bachelor’s degree. I find it easy with alumni but I also get calls from people who have gotten their A&P from another college, tech school, or through experience. This is where I run in to trouble.

First off, most colleges require that a student have a certain number of credit hours from that college to receive a degree. Since the community college that I work for is a State funded and accredited school, we require a total of thirty-five quarter hours of residency. In other words you must pay for and pass thirty-five quarter hours worth of classes. We also require that you have at least twenty hours of that thirty-six be in the technical field. In other words you will have to take some aviation maintenance classes again. Not my rule, but what I have to live by.

This may sound bad, but I can also give you non-traditional credit for having the A&P, and you could take the thirty-five hours in something else, like Business Management, and receive an Associate Degree in Technical Studies. This isn’t all bad, but more of a hybrid course work that you can tailor to what you want to do.

There is also Eastern New Mexico University at Roswell that is offering an Associate Degree for those who have their A&P. You may only have to take four classes to receive a degree but that is dependant on how you do on the placement tests. These tests tend to be a little on the tough side if you have been out of school for awhile, so don’t be too offended if you have to take a couple of additional classes to get you up to speed.

You could also look at some of the bigger four-year schools like Embry-Riddle. You get up to thirty hours for having the you’re A&P, but are only halfway there for an AAS and one quarter of the way for a BS.

A search of aviation schools on the Internet returned hundreds of aviation schools, so you have many options to choose from. The FAA’s website showed only 167 14CFR147 schools and they are not all colleges, some are vocational and high school programs, but if you are only seeking an Associate degree this may be a place to start. When you are looking for a school, my advice is to look at the accreditation and funding. Credits from accredited schools transfer where non-accredited schools may or may not. State funded schools normally are accredited so that makes them a good first start in your search. Financial Aid, student loans, veteran’s benefits, and state or county retraining monies can also be used to further your education, so make sure that the school can offer these. Private colleges and universities, depending on their accreditation and name is also a great place to look at.

When you look at degree programs, think outside of the box. Look at a business degree. Hard to go wrong when you know how the business works. Environmental degrees are becoming popular as well, because of the increase in EPA and OSHA regulations. Technical communications, a foreign language, drafting, or anything that you may like to study and would make you the person that is indispensable for an employee.

Don’t be discouraged, but it may require you to do some legwork. Ask around. Talk to your friends or colleagues in the business to see where they got their degree or wished the got their degree from. I am a little biased, or loyal to my alma maters, having received my AAS from Columbus State Community College and BS from Embry-Riddle, but I also direct people in Ohio to Franklin University, Ohio University, and Eastern New Mexico. Not every college or program will fit every person. You may or may not like the online experience, or you may not like the classroom. The decision is yours to make, but make the decision.

So instead of asking yourself “what now?” stop and ask “why not?”. Go for that degree; get your IA, the FCC GROL, EPA Freon certification, get anything that makes you stand out in the crowd. Look at both the Associate degree and the Bachelor’s; maybe it’s time for the big step outside the box. Don’t be afraid to walk in the classroom even if you have a few years behind you. Be the best you can be and stand out in the crowd.

Jeff Gruber is an Assistant Professor at Columbus State Community College Aviation Maintenance Technology. Jeff holds an A&P, IA, and DME. Jeff is also the Great Lakes Regional Director for PAMA and the Chairman of the Government and Technical Issues Committee.

This article was first published in the PAMA Newsletter, November 2009