Years ago I was riding in a crew van with a FedEx CA who was less than a year from retirement. He told me “Son, you never know if you made the right choices in this career until you are looking back from retirement. Get on with the first airline that sells tickets under its own name that hires you and settle in for the ride.”

Looking at the history of commercial aviation this advice is not infallible but it is solid advice in more cases than not.