Hello all!

First of all, thanks in advance for any replies.

My background,
I went to a 4 year, AABI accredited University with a part 141 program and great training with a well-respected flight school. Unfortunately, even though I had a great college experience, the school did not prepare me as well as it could have for the job that I was seeking. The school did not get approved for restricted ATP minimums, forcing me to look elsewhere to build extra flight time instead of getting to the regional job that I have been seeking. I try not to regret things in my life, but I keep thinking "man I should have gone to ____ (riddle, UND, etc.)," because this would've never happened to them. Instead I went to ___ (no name, yet good, school) and a paperwork snafu has left me a bit delayed in my career. WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS?

Well, it's time for me to actually choose a regional to go to. A lot of people have told me, and I've heard, that the regional you choose DOES matter in terms of landing a job at a major. My question is, how much weight should I put on that when choosing a regional for myself? I deeply value my base choice because I'd like to live in-base (which is NY for me). But if going to _____ (ExpressJet?) will help me to potentially advance my career further and faster, I am willing to suck it up a while longer.

I know that no company is perfect, but as an outsider, it's extremely difficult to see the differences in training, company culture, etc., much like it was before choosing a college.

I hope I'm making sense!