APC has a month, if not weekly, thread "can someone tell me how I don't have to do what almost every legacy pilot hired ahead of me has done?"

Or the " this isn't necessary" or "they should give me credit for XYZ" posts.

Probably the #1 "I don't want to" is college. "I don't want to be a CFI" might be #2.

Here's a version that's much more impressive - fill the same damn squares most of the guys ahead of you have. Telling your story and showing how you overcame difficulties is a better tack than hoping they'll change the requirements because of your particular "I don't want to."

Like the 40+ yr old guy who got laid off in 2008(?). No degree. No local flying opportunitues(2008...) Figured the majors would start hiring eventually so he took the opportunity of the lousy job market and went back to school to get his four yr degree. Then his wife got laid off. Yup, two teenagers, two unemployed parents. He figured out how to finish his degree despite that hardship. Why? Because he realized he needed to improve his resume vs hoping the rules changed.

Identify the weaknesses in your resume and figure out how to fix the weakness. Hoping the rules change is a poor strategy.