Hey good luck to all of you in your flying careers but let me tell you it ain't that great of a career. I know flying is a great thing, hell I've done it for most off my life but read this. I have flown in every continent exept Australia and Africa. I was hired as a F/E in '96 upgraded to F/O in early '98, hired by a US Major in '99, furloughed from them in early '02. Hired by a cargo outfit (DC-8's) 7 months later, just to get the shaft 11 months 15 days later. Hired by a charter outfit (737-800) whith whom I flew for only 6 months because I was offered a Capt. slott at a regional flying the CRJ-700. Now I'm looking at being on reserve for who knows how long, barely making ends meet. Do yourselfs a favor, finish school, make alot of money, buy your own plane. But if you must just be patient and understand that the airline industry in this country stinks right now and it will for a while, you will make very little money for a long time, you will be trated like dirt by management, and your F/A will not look like Hooters girls.
Once you get the job, please shut up and listen to the guy next to you. He will most likely know more than you, remember its not just about what the books say, experience is not written on the POH or FOM. A wise man once said to me after I got around 1000 hrs, as a 1000 hrs pilot you know just enough to get yourself in a world off S _ _ _ T, but you know nothing about getting out of it.
One more thing, the airline industy is in bad shape mainly because of managements ability to get pilots to fly for less now that 10 years ago and their continued bad decissions. Mesa is one who treats their pilots like dirt and pays them as little as they can to fly as much as the law will let them. I know that to a low time pilot the idea of getting into the flight deck of a CRJ or ERJ is like a wet dream with Pamela Anderson. But just like the wet dream, after you wake up and smell the coffee your not going to want to tell your friends about it. The same can be said about many other small regionals, some are better than others though. Your best bet is to try and get into the Fractionals or cargo outfits, you will get great experience.
Good Luck