Algonquin 2 Year aviation program!?

[CaptianYolo]

I got into the Algonquin aviation management program that offers a 2 year diploma and gets you your commercial pilot license. I was wondering if it was worth it. I am going to end up paying around 58 thousand dollars. Towards the end i get a diploma and 250 hours flight hours and i get to choose from multi-ifr, float plane thing or flight instructor rating. I can't go to the other colleges because they are t far away from where i live. I live in Ottawa and the closes to this college. Has anyone gone to this program?

TL;DR Is the program worth it? Will i have a chance to get into major airlines in 5-10 years time?

[C-FDPB]

I did the Algonquin program and it was OK. At the time I did it, the multi and INRAT were required for graduation but not the MIFR. You also had to do an elective and I chose float rating as that's the path I wanted to go down. It all depends on what you want to do. Confederation probably would have been better for me but it all depends on what you want to do and where there's space. Some students finished and got their instructor ratings and began teaching at the school and others went on to work ramp for airlines and then on to captain within 3 or so years. If I were to do it again I would go to school for something else like a really good trade then do my flight training on the side so I had something to fall back on if the industry slumped or knock on wood got an eye injury. There goes your $58K. Poof. my $.02.

DPB

[imac0960]

I would really look into Sault College and Confederation College. They are of longer duration but the flight training is subsidized. Algonquin College you say is $58K, that a lot of money over 2 years. Sault College is regular college tuition (I'm guessing about $3000/semester; 7 semesters) Confed is probably about the same. I would be all about finishing as cheap as possible to finish with as much as possible to avoid mass amounts of debt and put you in good standing for a job afterwards.

That's my $0.02

[awitzke]

Had I known about that before I started out in Vancouver I would have seriously looked into that . Debt sucks.

[DanWEC]

If I can make a suggestion to those following the Algonquin program- this is your first chance to make a good impression at one of the two Ottawa FTU's you'll be training at. This is where you make your first references, recommends, and possibly employment- not at the college. We all know who has been professional, put in effort, and treated it like the giant financial investment that it is. These are also exclusively the few people in the entire program who finish on time, amazingly enough. It isn't a difficult program by any graduate standard, but the lazy will be stuck wondering (And usually complaining) why their motivated peers have recommends, working dispatch at the very FTU they're training at, and usually instructing after. This is a professional vocation.
(I'm not saying don't enjoy it- It IS college after all )
Good luck and enjoy the journey!