Should have done the military and the military training. I was into airplanes as a kid, my grandmothers brother (cousin?) was a 707 captain at Pan Am, then retired as the senior captain on the 747. He didn't even have a full high school education, stole his first airplane, flew the Clipper boats, pretty amazing, and he's still kicking at 93+. But...he didn't really offer any advice because he sensed a disapproval from my father about other things. So there's the problem, no mentoring from my parents. As a kid I once asked if "do you have to know a lot of math to be a pilot?" My mother said "oh yeah, you sure do". Like she knew! All my father did when it came to opinions about the military was was rag about how dumb the military was, (ex-Army non-officer draftee) and that "the Navy was the worst". Like he knew part II! At 16, when I thought for a brief moment that being a pilot would be a career I should have figured it out and applied myself for college and the military, but I was too brainwashed. Instead at 19 I started at a mom & pop's FBO, paying for it all myself (by-passing college) while my mother said "you'll never finish that". The mom & pop place was fine but they knew nothing of what lay beyond, as in how to prepare for charter or commuter, etc. So it ended up as a lot of of two steps forward 1 3/4 steps back, and this went on for years and years. I have tons of experience now and only regret some of it, but it could have been much, much easier with a little support and research.

Essentially, what is key is finding a mentor who knows whats it all about, who isn't jaded, who if they don't know something exactly can point you to someone who does know something about it. I think things are tougher now days but the training system of is generally much better.