Originally Posted by BoilerUP

You cannot be that naive.

There are airlines that will hire lower-time pilots out of specific college aviation programs (Purdue, UND, ERAU, Parks, etc) because those folks are, by and large, a known quantity when it comes to the quality of their training and the depth of their knowledge. They have proven their ability to succeed in training. That said, a college degree is NOT a requirement at the regional level, although it is always "preferred".

A CFI? Yeah, and so are 90% of 121 pilots. That won't help you any (outside of building flight experience) unless you instruct in a program that has some sort of guaranteed movement to an airline (ATP, MAPD, DCI, etc).

I also have an aviation degree, hold a CFI-AIM, and served in the ANG...didn't do me (or anybody else I know in a similar position) any favors when trying to get a job. What got me interviews and then hired at the 121 and 135 operations I applied to were the aviation qualifications on my resume...not anything else.

Good luck to you in your job search...I fear you may need it.