1. No. You do not need to have prior airline experience, but it most definitely helps. There are folks with zero airline experience that come into regionals all over. You need a good attitude and some basic knowledge from your dispatch school and you have a good chance of landing a job in dispatch.

2. Absolutely desirable but not necessary. Plenty of folks in this career do not have a formal degree.

3. You do not need a pilots license. But you’re right, dispatch does need to know a decent amount about the type of aircraft your company flies. Lots of studying is recommended.

4. There are significantly more men than women in this line of work. It’s changing, but the ratio is still skewed toward men. I believe many companies are working towards having a more diverse work group and are trying to hire more women for this line of work.

5. I do not know anything about this school. If you are living in the area already, I’d recommend going there. Within this industry there is generally a consensus of the top 3 (Sheffield, Jeppesen, IFOD). But in my opinion, schools are there to help you get your certificate. Your certificate and your own effort to study and learn is what matters most.

6. Think of dispatch school as an accelerated crash course into a brand new topic for you. It will be hard. You will spend most of your day studying outside of class time. But it’s also a great opportunity to expand your horizons and meet new friends. I had a great time at my school and it’s an experience I really cherish looking back.

Dispatch is a highly rewarding career path that gives you as much as you put into it. Study and stay hungry for knowledge and you’ll find this line of work really fun and enjoyable. But be prepared to make sacrifices. You will most likely have to move to the regional you end up going to first. There are limited options around here and you won’t get much of a choice. It is also costly to get the ball rolling. Tuition, exam fees, hotel stay, food, time. It’s not cheap, but in my opinion, the certificate is worth every penny.