Originally Posted by
TheWeatherman
People who got to their ATP mins through part 135 operations will tell you their way makes you better 121 pilots then 1500 hour 172 drivers. Those who did the CFI route will tell you their way is better and makes you better aviators than those who just flew freight in straight lines and level altitudes from point A to point B daily.
Not sure which is better, but the part 121 training departments will tell you that on the whole those who come the CFI route, especially CFII, make better trainees and have a lower wash out rate than those who went other routes.
On the way to achieving my ATP, I did 135, instructed, towed banners, flew skydivers, did search and rescue, crop dusted, did aerial photography and movie location scouting, game count, gave scenic rides, towed gliders, and a few other things. I hauled gasoline, did freight and cargo and medevac. Somewhere in there I turned wrenches and pumped fuel, taught groundschools, put airplanes in parades and did mall displays.
There's no such thing as "their way." Just jobs and experience. The greater and the broader the experience (education), the better for the individual.
Get all the experience you can. It will help you grasp and understand, expand, adapt, learn, and perform. It may or may not enhance the resume, but an hour of experience and an hour of flight time are NOT the same.