Adlerdriver

I don't think this is very good advice. Rushing through life just filling the square on education and flight experience hoping that will result in better seniority at an unknown future employer is not a well thought out plan.

Sure, you can set some goals and chart a course to achieve them. But, you need to put in the time and work.

Getting a 4-year degree expeditiously may be possible and save you money. Some folks are able to cut some time off the 4-year timeline and streamline the process with extra work. But, you want to make sure your degree is worth the time and can help you should your future plans change regarding airline employment. If your priorities change or you lose the ability to hold an FAA medical certificate, you may not want some degree you rushed through that means nothing because you were in a hurry.

Getting to 1500 hours isn't some magic number. No major airline is going to hire someone with a wet ATP and 1500 hours fresh out of college. So, hurrying to get on with "an airline" doesn't mean he's anywhere close to being at his final career stop (where his seniority will truly matter). Maybe he ends up bush flying in Alaska, changes his mind and joins the military or some other path to true flight experience. Getting on with an airline at 1500 hours most likely means flying for a regional airline and continuing to gain experience to become competitive for his goal of a position at a major airline. There are many ways to gain that experience that don't involve rushing to get hired at an airline with 1500 hours.

He's 17 years old and isn't even finished with high school. Advising him to rush through the next 8-10 years of his life just to maybe have better seniority is a little unrealistic, IMO.