In terms of a TPIC requirement or preference being dead or not, I cant give insight to that as I'm in a similar boat to you. Based on advise from two mentors at UAL, I left my previous 121 carrier and went to PDT for the upgrade. We'll see how that decision pans out moving forward in terms of getting a call at UAL.

What I can say, is that if you do go after the upgrade, be very careful what company you choose. As you know, street captains and/or immediate upgrade guys will sit low on the list for a while and QOL can degrade significantly. If you go after it, go somewhere that's growing and hiring a lot. It will minimize your time low on the list.

I was at a TSA and I would strongly recommend not going there for the CQFO program. Those guys do not fly left seat. It's a gimmick to get more right seats filled. Go Jet has a true direct entry program, but it's Go Jet. Make of that what you will.

Piedmont and Endeavor seem to be two places you could go that are growing and instant-upgrading concurrently. Something to consider.

Good luck man.