Bret Ludwig wrote:
snip

An aside: something like 25% of A&P school grads never actually get
their licenses and of those who do many never use it or leave aviation
maintenance permanently in their first twelve months of employment.
Unless you're a pilot looking to use it to leverage a jet right seat or
want a piece of paper to show off at the watering hole it's not much of
an economic asset anymore.

Really? Everyone I went to school with got their A&P (except one guy
who couldn't pass). All but two of us are still in aviation. I've only
had two jobs out of college, but I got both because I had the A&P. And
a nice per year bonus for having it.

Getting the license by experience is the only way that makes any sense
to me-A&P schools are largely a total ripoff. We have one out here that
advertises in the paper with photos of corporate jets taking off and
the inside of the GE Cincinnati plant-their "school" actually is a
converted LTL truck terminal in the middle of nowhere with a junked
Queen Air and some old dead RR Vipers that are far from runnable.
Course cost is $30,000 and rising again in May.

IMHO, anyone who doesn't do research into a school like this is asking
for trouble. I have zero experience with other schools, but mine
definitely wasn't what you described above.

The few grads getting
hired in town are going to work for $12-14 an hour as combination line
service and shop, second and third shift, at the ONE FBO that will hire
them (and, oh yes-a $5/hr discount on Sundowner rental if they want
flight training there.)

Funny...my school has a 100% placement rate most years, and the average
starting salary is $37,000 a year. Not great, but better than $12-14 an
hour.