The people that I know that got their certificates and ratings at the same time as me have taken 10-15yrs to get to "the majors" or equivalent positions from when they started flying "for hire". That is just reality because there are not that many jobs out there and more regional jobs comparatively. A few years makes no difference and much of getting hired is simply luck. All of your academic mentors will try to spin that you are getting into everything at "the right time!", but they've been telling people this for at least 20yrs, if not more. We've all heard it. What would make a difference is to not be burdened by debt, there are many things you won't be able to do and experience due to this, and what fun is it to finally have some money when your body is starting to give out? Now, if you've got 50k burning a hole in your pocket, then by all means use this, and then use your GI bill for something useful, like an engineering degree or similar.