a typical new kid at schoolI mean…seriously? Everyone and their grandma knows that George W. is a complete and total idiot who has left our country in the worst shape it’s ever been in. You don’t get the lowest approval ratings ever without sucking at your job. But do people really want to elect another president who might be even dumber than he is? I can understand that most GOP supporters aren’t very smart, unless you’re talking about God, guns, or Nascar. I can even understand how they might want a president who got Ds in school like they did. But wouldn’t they rather have someone with a plan to fix the US (and a 3-digit IQ)? Do they really want someone who crashed 6 planes and left his ailing wife to marry an heiress? I’m just wondering?
See for yourself…http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mccain 899&btnG=Google Search
Suthrngal, just because we UNKNOWINGLY go to STUPID physicians, it shouldn't bother us to KNOWINGLY elect a STUPID president? Brilliant logic…southern you say? What a surprise.
link broken: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mccain+899&btnG=Google+Search
Hear him say it himself… http://www.webtvhub.com/john-mccain-was-a-d-student-video-admits-he-graduated-894th-of-899/
McCain supporters are just as smart as he is.
Something has really caught my attention since becoming a member of Yahoo Answers and I am somewhat troubled by what I am seeing. As some of you may know, the USA is near the bottom of academic ratings among progressive countries.
WORLD EDUCATION RANKINGS
UNICEF rankings of educational systems in the world’s richest countries, indicating the percentage of 14 and 15 year olds scoring below a minimum level in literacy, math and science.
1. South Korea 1.4 percent
2. Japan 2.2
3. Finland 4.4
4. Canada 5
5. Australia 6.2
6. Austria 8.2
7. Britain 9.4
8. Ireland 10.2
9. Sweden 10.8
10. Czech Republic 12.2
- (tie) New Zealand 12.2
12. France 12.6
13. Switzerland 13
14. Belgium 14
- (tie) Iceland 14
16. Hungary 14.2
- (tie) Norway 14.2
18. United States 16.2
19. Germany 17
- (tie) Denmark 17
21. Spain 18.6
22. Italy 20.2
23. Greece 23.2
24. Portugal 23
Although these rankings may have changed a bit over the past few years, the USA continues to lag behind sorrowfully in it’s educational standing with dropout rates on the rise.
My concern then is in regard to the plethora of questions posed on this forum by both high school and college students who obviously have NOT completed homework assignments: reading books, math, research papers, interviews, etc. Although during my 13 years of higher education, I graduated near or at the top of my class, I never figured out how to inculcate the necessary material while foregoing the homework.
Realizing that I am old (40-50ish), am I just simply outdated in my thought and are internet forums and so on todays standard for homework completion? There is no way to deny some of the advantages of group homework completion; however, my concerns remain. In my day, asking someone else for the answers was simply called cheating, if caught there were serious consequences. Today, it seems to be the norm!
The bigger concern is that if you do it yourself you OWN it. The point is not getting the “answer”. It’s in thinking for yourself…coming to your own conclusions, reasoning.
To be completely honest…… My stepdad (no I don’t know my real dad) was psychically and emotionally abusive. I had some friends in elementary school. However, I was mean. And I regret it to this day. 6th grade was when my parents divorced. I had NOONE. And it was a nasty nasty divorce. Pulled in both sides. Now I had a sister at this time. My stepdad was her real dad. So of course my stepdad favored her. I didn’t understand at this time. Middle school was hard b/c my mom moved out of state. I got laughed at b/c I didn’t wear a bra or I didn’t shave my legs. Which I knew nothing about at that time. I would go home crying b/c I didn’t have any friends. And it showed through.
All throughout this time I had a best friend. It was a horse. Since my grandparents had a horse farm I would spend most of my days there. I was also involved in 4-H.
Also, my stepdad is the kind of guy who would prefer hunting to working (meaning not bringing home a paycheck when a family needs it so badly)
Right at the end of my 8th grade my stepdad touched me inappropriately. I told my mom which led to him being arrested and go to court. He was found not guilty. My mom gained full custody of my sister b/c of this.
Well we moved and I had only a month of 8th grade left at this new school. I moved to a new school district that had rich snobby brats (which I didn’t understand at the time). This school had wealthy middle class and up students. I was use to seeing black people and we had just a few wealthy middle class. I didn’t make any friends. I didn’t want to see a psychologist, but my mom should have made me. All I remember was being extremely hyper and not knowing how to make friends. My gpa went to a 1. something. This was all new to me. 10th grade I hit depression and after 10th grade I moved to a new school in the same district. I started to make friends and than they just stopped hanging out with me. It was so embarrassing b/c it showed I had no friends. And I was not gothic at all. I started to see a psychologist to figure out why I couldn’t concentrate and why I couldn’t do the basic of math and why I didn’t have any friends. Like I still can’t tell time, it has to be digital. All the psychologists have said there is nothing wrong with me (my ass). I barely graduated with no good memories and no friends. I didn’t apply to colleges b/c I didn’t understand about that process. I ended up enrolling the last minute at a community college. My mom got remarried (honestly I think b/c he was a computer programmer and had a house).
Well, I know this is long. I will try to make it short. I got kicked out of my house 2 times. Started dating an older guy at the end of my senior year. Very bad choice!!!! He was awaiting trial for child something. I couldn’t break up with him b/c he was all I had and who had an apartment. My mom was just horrible and not supportive. She had finally given me a car at like almost the end of my senior year. Now this is a school where 90 percent of the senior students had a car. Horrible car (ford escort) with bad safety ratings. College wasn’t to good b/c I couldn’t do the work.
I am of course living back at home. Now my mom has a 1 yr old girl. Which she has no patience for. I need to leave and don’t have the money for an apartment and a car. So I have a job now where I am lucky I can use a bus that picks me up. I am going to try to get into one of the universities here so I can have a place to stay and try to meet people. I leave for air force basic training in Dec. This is so I can fill out my fasa by myself.
I have no family, no friends. And it hurts a lot. But, I never give up!
Any! Any! Advice will be helpful.
Thanks!
I’ve been reading this since you posted it an hour ago trying to give you a meaningful answer. I fear anything I say will come out horribly inadequate.
I must say, the psychiatrists you’ve been seeing must be useless.. though I am no way qualified to do so I would say that you have depressive and social disorders. If you can, I’d see a psychiatrist who has a very good reputation. Were you honest with the ones you saw previously? that is important
As for making friends, my advice to you;
- Make sure you are dressed nicely (no need to go overboard, just pleasant)
- Be kind to people when you do interact with them
- Try not to seem desperate. People assume that if you don’t have friends, there’s something wrong with you. There isn’t.. from reading that I have to say you have formidable will. Not everyone would make it through all that. Just present yourself as you are, don’t go into your past
- Join a club involved in a sport or something else people do in a group. You gotta meet people to befriend them
Sorry this response was so belated. I hope it helps in some way.. and apologise if it seems pathetic as a response to such a long and deep question
I wish you all the best, times a million
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Duration : 9 min 15 sec
I’m seriously considering becoming a pilot. I understand everyone has to start out with the basic private license and work their way up through the licenses. First reason I want to be a pilot is to be able to fly. It’s kind of been a dream of mine. I look up in the sky at planes flying by and think, “that could be me flying”. Second, is I think it’d be a great career. I don’t necessarily wanna fly for airlines but possibly even just corporate planes. Something like being the pilot for the company jet or a wealthy family. I’ve searched around online and found lot’s of conflicting info. I went on www.airlinepilotforums.com and I couldn’t seem to find anything helpful there.
First off: Is it necessary to get a 4 year degree or any degree for that matter to be able to successfully get work flying for these places. I heard mixed info on the forum, some saying yes, some no. I would like to just get my licenses. I’m not much for going to college if I can help it. I prefer not to have to go.
Second: What’s the best way to go about getting my licenses?
Some have said it’s better and cheaper to goto a local FBO. Or at least for certain levels of training.
I’ve looked at National Pilot Academy where they guarantee people job placement yet I’ve found bad reports of them being the worst place you could go to. Somebody said their friend who went there flies once a month with his job he got. I’ve heard different things from different people. A few said it was good but who knows for sure. Job placement would be important too but of course it would have to at least pay for the training.
I’m in NYC right now. I don’t mind having to go anywhere in the country to train. Money isn’t too much of an issue. More important is the best training and reputation. It seems many of the schools instructors are the students going through the school just finishing up on their hours. That’s my understanding anyway. If I’m paying the high price I want an instructor that wants to teach, is good at it(I’d like to stay alive), and has been teaching for at least a little while.
ATP is another school I’m not sure of. They say most airlines hire ATP graduates on their ad but who knows. They say they include jet training. It seems to be a lot better than some of these other places.
The NPA’s site news section hadn’t had anything put in it for a good few years. I thought that seemed a bit sketchy.
I’ve just been reading more of the ATPflightschool’s website and I think I might strongly consider it. If anybody has any warnings please let me know. Once again I want to become a pilot without having to go to college for a 4 year or even a 2 year degree.
If anybody knows more specifically what different places such as airlines, corporations,…etc look for as far as qualifications please feel free to let me know.
I’m looking to be able to fly learjets as well. Does anybody know the specifics about type ratings. Say there’s a job opening for a plane I haven’t flown before. Do I get the type rating for it and then I’m A OKAY?
Thanks in Advance for any and all help and advice offered.
Josh
First of all, well done doing some research and thinking through your decision to follow a certain career path. If you keep that up you’ll do very well indeed. Now let me see if I can answer some of your questions.
A four-year degree is typically not required by most airlines or flight departments, but it will move you higher in the pool of candidates. If there are two candidates for a first officer position with equal experience levels, the decision will be heavily weighted towards the candidate with a degree. It’s not impossible to get a position without a degree, but it will most likely be more difficult.
Where you get your training is entirely up to you. I have gone both the small FBO route as well as through a large academy, and I learned a great deal in both places. The small FBO will most likely be cheaper, and provide a more intimate learning structure, whereas a large academy generally provides a more professional learning environment where you are more likely to learn how to work in conjunction with another pilot in the same cockpit. During my FBO training, it was left up to me to handle everything in the aircraft, which is a good thing, but was maddeningly frustrating at times. At the flight academy I learned not to think twice about asking the instructor to handle the radio while I was busy trying to maintain an ILS approach in gusty winds.
Most flight academies have been known in the past to cycle through instructors fairly quickly, and that is still often the case. However, they are also now beginning to increase pay rates and benefits in order to try to entice instructors to stay on for longer periods of time. There are also always going to be instructors who love teaching others how to fly, and you’ll find them at flight academies as well as at FBO’s.
I have not gone to either NPA or ATP, so I cannot speak for the quality of their programs. I went to Westwind School of Aeronautics, and received some great training while I was there, though I wish the weather would have allowed for some more actual IFR experience.
To get an idea of what hiring requirements will be when you have finished your training and are beginning to look for a job, take a look at PilotJobs. They focus primarily on regional airlines, but you can expect corporate flight departments to have similar requirements.
As far as type ratings are concerned, they will eventually become necessary when your career progresses. Type ratings can be fairly expensive, so try to find jobs that will cover the cost for you. You may need to get the first one or two yourself, then as you build experience employers will be more willing to pay for new type ratings for you.
Staying in good health is a requisite for being a pilot. While a First Class medical is not required until you actually become a captain, it’s best to try to get one right off the bat. By applying for a First Class medical, you will be under stricter requirements to pass, but you will know right away if there are any health problems that may be an issue later on in your career, and you can make changes to your career plan sooner rather than later.
However, if there is any kind of health issue that you worry may prevent you from passing a medical exam, talk with the FAA’s medical division or a local AME first (you can search for AME’s on the FAA’s website). They will be able to help you determine whether or not a medical issue or medication is disqualifying. If you still think you may fail the medical exam, do not apply for one. You can fly as a Light Sport Pilot using your state-issued Driver’s License as long as you have never been denied an FAA medical of any class. There are some strict limitations on what Light Sport Pilots can and can’t do, but at least you can still fly.
One final word of advice, aviation in general, and the airline industry in particular, is a highly dynamic work environment. If you do end up getting a four-year degree, get one in a field other than aviation. That way if the aviation career doesn’t work out, or hits a snag, you will have something to fall back on.