Late 20's Applicants and/or Doctoral Studies -- Experience, Anecdotes, Advice?

[thirsty-camel]

It seems older trainees do not take to flying as readily as younger counterparts, possibly due to inhibitions, families, maturity etc.

Also, graduate degrees seem to confer a marginal advantage in TPS selection. Not seen much on "PHD's", specifically.

The consensus advice seems to be, essentially, "don't delay".

Thoughts? Has anyone met aviators with doctorates earned as civilians, particularly in STEM? How do they fare as pilots? As officers?

How do their career paths differ, if at all? Any other considerations?

Thank you for any comments.

 

[gparks1989]

It seems older trainees do not take to flying as readily as younger counterparts, possibly due to inhibitions, families, maturity etc.

I don't know if there's any data to support that statement. Had plenty of older counterparts in flight school who did very well.

There is zero reason to delay if you want to fly in the Navy/military. I certainly wouldn't delay to pursue a PhD to increase your odds of getting picked up for TPS.

There are a bajillion threads where people ask a variation of your question. The answer is always the same. Or to put it another way: Navy pilot turned PhD is very cool, PhD who talks about how they thought about joining the Navy but didn't is not cool.

 

[thirsty-camel]

I don't know if there's any data to support that statement. Had plenty of older counterparts in flight school who did very well.

There is zero reason to delay if you want to fly in the Navy/military. I certainly wouldn't delay to pursue a PhD to increase your odds of getting picked up for TPS.

There are a bajillion threads where people ask a variation of your question. The answer is always the same. Or to put it another way: Navy pilot turned PhD is very cool, PhD who talks about how they thought about joining the Navy but didn't is not cool.

And the PHD who thought about joining, and did?

The delay is related to a hard-drug-related issue involving hospitalization ... a good idea to let this incident cool off, no?

Thank you, hoping to hear your reply.

 

[taxi1]

And the PHD who thought about joining, and did?

The delay is related to a hard-drug-related issue involving hospitalization ... a good idea to let this incident cool off, no?

Thank you, hoping to hear your reply.

Cool off…likely until you are laid out on a slab. Hard drugs in record = frowned upon.

PhD in what? STEM?

 

[Mos]

If the doctorate and post-doc career is in the cards, then I'd suggest you do that.

 

[thirsty-camel]

Cool off…likely until you are laid out on a slab. Hard drugs in record = frowned upon.

PhD in what? STEM?

Math.

Frowned upon, yes.

The possible "way out" according to Navy waiver guidelines, is undergoing a full evaluation by a psychiatrist after a period of prolonged abstinence (1 year). This would involve tests for reasoning, emotional makeup, and so on.

Either way, it seems prudent to retreat all Navy aspirations to "long-term plan" status. At least for now.

Fortunately the age limit was increased. Thank you.

 

[thirsty-camel]

If the doctorate and post-doc career is in the cards, then I'd suggest you do that.

General advice or individual prescription ?

 

[johnpauljones1776]

And the PHD who thought about joining, and did?

The delay is related to a hard-drug-related issue involving hospitalization ... a good idea to let this incident cool off, no?

Thank you, hoping to hear your reply.

Personally know a retired aviator that commissioned through AOCS with a doctorate in aeronautics; awesome aviator, great officer. I should say he did have to go back and defend his thesis after AOCS.
Currently, an ensign at whiting field with a doctorate in physics but he is no longer apart of the restricted line due to some foreign family connections. Having a doctorate allowed him to go aerospace physiologist (I think) so he’s still able to fly, at least a little.

 

[taxi1]

I’ve known two MDs who went URL aviator.

How quickly can you bang out a Math PhD?

 

[Mos]

General advice, or individual prescription ?

Individual judging from your post history.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Math.

Frowned upon, yes.

The possible "way out" according to Navy waiver guidelines, is undergoing a full evaluation by a psychiatrist after a period of prolonged abstinence (1 year). This would involve tests for reasoning, emotional makeup, and so on.

Either way, it seems prudent to retreat all Navy aspirations to "long-term plan" status. At least for now.

Fortunately the age limit was increased. Thank you.

You would not only need a medical waiver but also a waiver for the drug use itself. In general it is rare for someone to get accepted that has a history of drug use that is anything other than MJ.

 

[Swanee]

Math.

Frowned upon, yes.

The possible "way out" according to Navy waiver guidelines, is undergoing a full evaluation by a psychiatrist after a period of prolonged abstinence (1 year). This would involve tests for reasoning, emotional makeup, and so on.

Either way, it seems prudent to retreat all Navy aspirations to "long-term plan" status. At least for now.

Fortunately the age limit was increased. Thank you.

Wait. Are you saying you have used hard drugs within the previous year?
What hard drug(s) are you talking about?

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

And the PHD who thought about joining, and did?

The delay is related to a hard-drug-related issue involving hospitalization ... a good idea to let this incident cool off, no?

Thank you, hoping to hear your reply.

Based on this post and the fact you’re likely on psychedelics right now… the military isn’t for you.

Enjoy your PHD program.

 

[gparks1989]

And the PHD who thought about joining, and did?

The delay is related to a hard-drug-related issue involving hospitalization ... a good idea to let this incident cool off, no?

Thank you, hoping to hear your reply.

Hmmmm, probably in the middle of the two options I laid out. In all seriousness, your decision seems pretty easy. Apply to the math PhD while you navigate the waiver process. That keeps all options open. If you get picked up, you can leave the PhD program. I'm not sure about math, but I know most humanities and social sciences PhDs provide a masters (MA or MPhil) en route to doctoral candidate status. And if you aren't able to get a waiver, then you're already established in your career.

I don't know anything about the drug waiver process, but if there's a waiver for it, there's a path forward. I'd imagine recent hard drug usage makes the uphill climb that much harder, but go for it.

 

[Spekkio]

OP, you're being very vague in your posts.

In a general sense, a PhD and naval aviation are incongruous, insofar as each one is a significant career detour from the other.

You don't mention whether you are currently enrolled or applying in a PhD program. Regardless, if you decide to join the Navy after earning your PhD, you are probably shutting most if not all career doors to utilize your degree when you are finished. A doctoral education is highly specialized and requires you to conduct original research in your discipline in order to stay relevant. By the time you finish with the Navy in 10-12 years, your knowledge will have eroded significantly to the point where it will be virtually impossible for you to come back.

Having a PhD in the military will get you no special treatment and offers no career advantages to you. The job requires a bachelor's degree.

If you decide to do naval aviation first, you will incur some challenges getting into graduate school. Namely, you will have been out of school for 10-12 years and now you have to study for the GRE. You will also likely have gotten married and potentially have children. Having said that, the 9/11 GI bill and your veteran status will make attending a graduate program financially easier on you.

So in a general sense: If this is a "should I apply for Naval Aviation or a PhD program," do naval aviation first and PhD second, understanding that you are taking a detour to your final goal of earning a graduate degree that incurs some challenges. If this is a "I'm in a PhD program and I'm considering being a pilot in the Navy after I graduate," you're going to turn your PhD into a waste of money.

Now, to your specific case: being hospitalized for narcotics abuse disqualifies you from commissioning programs. So you need to move on from the idea of becoming an officer. Even if it's technically possible based on something you found buried in an instruction somewhere, no officer recruiter is going to want to put in the effort to push through a candidate with a history of narcotics abuse.