Are These Certificates Worth It?
Let’s set the scene: You’ve been working your ass off for a few weeks now. You are going through a trade school, but you also are maintaining a full-time job because you have bills. Now things are starting to wear on you. You haven’t been out with your friends in a while and you’re belly is starting to grow because you haven’t had time to go to the gym.
You start asking yourself the all-important question: are these certificates worth it?
Is it worth not having a social life? Is it worth skipping the gym? Is it worth it to keep wearing yourself out by waking up early for work, then staying up late to study? What’s the point in going for the NCATT (Aircraft Electronics Technician) AET, GROL (General Radio Operator’s License), and the A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) License? There are so many different jobs that you can do with any of these certificates. This article is going to walk you through some of the potential jobs and earning potential to prove the return on the investment is worth it.
NCATT AET
Honestly, the best thing about all of these jobs is the outlook. Aviation is expanding at a rapid rate. Getting any sort of aviation certificate right now would be an excellent choice.
With the NCATT AET, you can get a job in more than just aviation. You can work in aerospace, for the government, at airlines, or in a navigational field. With any of these jobs, you can make some seriously good money too.
The pay ranges, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an hourly rate from $18.61 an hour to $48.49 an hour. That means the annual salary would be anywhere from $38,700 to $100,860.
Jobs in this field are in high demand right now too. Seriously, if you do an internet search of airports near where you live, there is almost a 100% chance that they will be in need of an AET. Then you can always look for opportunities at new airports to give yourself more of a challenge.
GROL
One of the best things about getting your GROL is that it doesn’t limit you to aviation. They’re also a lot of nautical opportunities in case you like boats more than flying.
But wait there’s more!
Just working in any sort of radio capacity is possible. You can be an on-air talent, a program director, or make the big bucks as a radio frequency engineer. The pay averages at $59,000 a year according to Payscale.com.
This is largely because the pay can be kind of low for random radio talent. Then an aircraft dispatcher can make some serious cash. It’s quite common for people to start working as a dispatcher and use the money to get on the other side of the radio and become a pilot. It even makes them a better pilot because they have much cleaner radio calls.
There’s also the possibility of working as an avionics technician, which gets you into the aviation field and has you working on airplane radios. With the amount of nostalgia involved in aviation and people flying old airplanes without radios, an avionic technician with a specialization in radios would be extremely beneficial.
A&P License
So the possibility of employment with an A&P is pretty much endless. Remember the airport trick? That’s even more true with an A&P.
You could easily get a job at ANY airport in the United States with your A&P. Airlines are always in need of more mechanics. That’s not even considering the charter airlines, flight schools, and private owners that need work on their aircraft. What you do think Floyd Mayweather does when his airplane isn’t working correctly?
The possibilities of employment opportunities are endless with an A&P. Salary.com shows the average pay for an A&P mechanic as $58,400. The reason this isn’t as impressive as other aviation jobs is because it includes the pay for those that are in an apprenticeship, which is considerably lower pay.
But if you want to work on the big boys, the big jets, the median pay is way higher at $91,094. So, if you would rather work at an airline or a charter, then you will be getting a much fatter wallet. Not to mention the benefits of being able to fly pretty much anywhere in the world and get away from work every now and again.
More than just Pay
There’s a lot more to consider than just the pay you can get from your job. The American Psychology Association has an entire freaking book about it.
But it’s like $70, so here’s the Cliff’s Notes version: When it comes to a career, people want more than just a high-paying job. They want to have some meaning in it too. This makes them feel like they are making a difference in the world and making the world a better place.
This relates to this article by saying, all of these jobs can be extremely fulfilling. You can force meaning in your job, but sometimes you just need someone to point it out. I’ll do this in the broadest way possible so as not to make this a freaking book. If you work in any sort of maintenance field in aviation, you are literally saving people’s lives. Whoa, it sounds so dramatic!
But in all seriousness, if an airplane has a mechanical failure then it can go down and bring everyone down with it. Which can be catastrophic. That’s a dramatic explanation, but it’s also true. If you’re doing your job correctly, then you are meticulous and do damn good work. That’s what’s needed because something as little as using a screw that’s even a few millimeters too small can lead to serious disaster.
An incident that occurred in the 80s was legitimately caused by maintenance crews using screws that were mere millimeters too small. The cockpit window ended up opening during takeoff and the flight engineer and a few flight attendants had to hold the pilot by the ankles to make sure he didn’t fly out the window.
For a less serious matter, it can make people’s travel experience smoother. Someone can just have a smoother ride to their vacation or their wedding because you did your job correctly.
So, the short answer is a resounding yes. YES, the certificates are extremely worth it. There are a million and six different reasons why it’s worth it. This is just a quick article to remind you that all the shit you’re going through to get your certificates is absolutely worth it.