Starting Point

“What are you studying in college?”—I’m often asked why I decided to major in aviation, more so why I picked an aviation management degree (after I get a confused look and asked “That’s an actual degree?”). I’ve never been able to articulate a reason other than aviation is my passion and I know that any position I hold in the industry would make me genuinely happy. I’m not entirely sure when my passion for aviation formed, but ever since a young age I have always been looking up.

As my last year of undergrad is progressing towards the end, I look back at each class I have taken and weigh how each has prepared me for graduation. I sat through numerous aviation and business related courses, many of which have improved my critical thinking skills and garnered further appreciation for the aviation industry as a whole. Each class has brought new challenges and information that, I hope, has prepared me well for my future after college. As for what direction my future is headed in, I am not entirely sure. Being a member of several professional aviation organizations, I have observed and researched many open positions across a spectrum of aviation specializations. Safety/training and marketing have continued to be the two more prominent interests in my educational and professional career to date; I hope to continue into one of these fields. My current internship position as a marketing analyst has refined these interests, allowing me to gain relevant experience in both areas. How the next few months play out will be incredibly interesting.

There are several current affairs that currently have my attention; however, the most prominent is the further consolidation in the commercial industry. Consolidation within the commercial industry will affect the traveling public with possible higher fares and reduced service and those, such as myself, looking for an entry level position with only a handful of companies that have access to large pools of applicants (many of which were let go after mergers due to redundancies and are looking for new positions). Following and analyzing these mergers has captivated me both personally and professionally, presenting themselves as a wonderful learning opportunity.