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TL;DR: Thinking about an aviation career but confused by the rumors? Here is the reality: While there is a massive pilot shortage, airlines specifically need qualified pilots who meet the 1,500-hour requirement. Earning the necessary licenses takes about 1 to 2 years of dedicated training, not just a few months. However, unlike traditional college degrees, where you wait years to gain hands-on experience, flight training puts you in the cockpit from week one, building your resume.
Dreaming of trading your desk for a cockpit? Whether your ultimate goal is to fly for a major commercial airline or pilot corporate jets for a living, choosing to become a professional aviator is a life-changing decision.
You’ve likely heard that there is a massive pilot shortage and that now is the perfect time to launch your career. While that is absolutely true, our team speaks with dozens of prospective flight school students every day, and we constantly hear the same misconceptions. Before you invest your time and money into flight training, let’s clear the air and break down the top three myths about becoming a commercial pilot.
The Reality: The pilot shortage is real, but the fine print comes down to one very important word: qualified.
While major aviation forecasts predict that tens of thousands of new pilots will be needed in North America over the next decade, the hiring landscape changed significantly in 2013. The FAA released a ruling requiring pilots to hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate—which requires 1,500 flight hours—to fly for a commercial air carrier. So, while airlines and operators are desperately hiring to meet demand, they are specifically looking for experienced pilots who have invested the time to meet these strict ATP requirements. You can’t just earn a basic license and immediately jump into the right seat of a commercial jet; you have to put in the work to build your hours first.
The Reality: Yes and no. You can earn your initial pilot certificate in a matter of months, but that will be your Private Pilot License (PPL). A PPL allows you to fly, but it legally prohibits you from flying for compensation or hire.
If you want to fly for a living, a PPL is just the first step. To build a top-level aviation career, your training pathway will follow a specific progression:
At an absolute minimum, you need a CPL to get paid to fly legally. Realistically, a new student pilot should expect to dedicate 1 to 2 years to rigorous flight training to earn the necessary ratings. From there, you will typically spend another 1 to 2 years working an entry-level flying job (like flight instructing) to build your hours and proficiency before landing higher-paying commercial roles. Simply put: you have to pay your dues before you command the big paychecks.
The Reality: Today, the traditional college route often leaves graduates with a coveted Bachelor’s degree, but a harsh reality check in the job market: employers want experience. But how do you get experience if you can’t get hired?
Aviation flips this script entirely. Professional pilots—especially those who incorporate their flight training into a college degree program—are in exceptionally high demand. The biggest advantage of an aviation education is that your “classroom” is the aircraft. You log flight hours and build real-world, resume-ready experience from day one.
Think about it: A law student doesn’t try a case on their first day, and a medical student isn’t performing surgery in week one. But as a student pilot, you are actually flying the aircraft during your very first week of flight school. By the time you finish your training, you don’t just have a piece of paper; you have hundreds of hours of logged, practical experience. That’s why launching an aviation career is one of the smartest, most hands-on educational investments you can make today.
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Your future office is waiting in the clouds. You can get started right now by filling out our online application. If you have questions or want to discuss your career path, call us at (844) 435-9338, or click here to start a live chat with our team.
