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I am graduating this upcoming May and have no clue what I am going to do after. For background, I have a very promising future ahead of me. I will be graduating from the best school for Aerospace Engineering in the entire country with my Mechanical Engineering degree and Aerospace Engineering minor. I will have completed my whole school in 3 years at the age of 20 (most students take 5 years and graduate at 22/23). I have so many doors open to me however at the end of the day I just want to make sure I am happy and satisfied with my life. And honestly idk which path I should go down so maybe you can give me some advice.
I know I love aviation and space. If I am being completely honest I have never given up the childhood dream of wanting to be an astronaut. However, I know that I can 100 percent not do that right now and may never be there. So I need to find something else I love. I love flying and am a student pilot however at the end of the day being an airline pilot is likely not the ideal job for me as I want a career where I am actively working on development and with new technology in the aerospace industry. I am considering likely going down the test pilot or flight engineer route, therefore.
However, I also need to figure out how to get there. Here are some of my opportunities give me your feedback on what I should do.
- ATP flight school: I can spend 5 months after graduation. This program would end with me being a commercial multi-engine pilot and certified flight instructor providing me with the opportunity to likely flight instruct and build flight hours. My thoughts are I really like how fast-tracked this program is but it is very very expensive (70k ) and I am not sure it is worth it especially if I don't really want to be an airline pilot.
- Grad school: I have always been very academically inclined. The school I am at will pay for me to do my master's there in aerospace engineering this would be full tuition and about a 20k stipend. Seems like a very good option. It is also economical and easy to pursue as I am already here. I just to make sure I make the decision to go to grad school out of a smart place not out of delaying the decision of what I want to do.
- Marines: I am currently working with some of the local marine recruits and they would very likely take me on as a pilot as long as I can pass the medical standards and meet the fitness requirements (this shouldn't be an issue). It would be an exciting career path where I would get to do meaningful flying in my opinion. They would also pay for all my flight school and military benefits.
- Take a job already: I was offered a cushy 6 figure office job today. However, it is in computer science and finance and is a 12hr workday kind of job so I would not have time to pursue my hobbies and interest on the side. I would honestly be miserable but 6 figures is 6 figures and I can take the money and leave after a few years.
Idk what the best thing to do is tbh. My thoughts right now are to do ATP right after I graduate and take summer and fall off. Then do my AE masters in the spring. Which would put me at 22 years old in May 2025 with my ME bachelor's, AE master's, and ATP. I am however very worried about the cost of ATP and the negatives of delaying my career by 2 years.
What do you think I should do?
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