I’m really glad I got my CFI certificate. I was planning on getting my own plane and flying a lot of the hours, but we had a financial upset in my family, so that was no longer an option. The CFI time was pretty excessive in my opinion. Got my commercial at 250 and I needed to get to 1500. After the first 500 hours of flight instructing, my rate of learning really went down. Everyday I can learn something new, however, most of the time it’s the same old grind.

I would suggest you definitely get your CFI certificate and instruct for a few months. The repetition of having to explain things really helps. Also, you can learn a lot by watching someone else fly.

Really prepare for your airline interview. I was not expecting such in-depth questions. I wish I would have studied beforehand, but being a CFI for so long, I felt I had a good understanding of most concepts. However, Sheppard Air might have helped with some of the 121 stuff they throw in there. Be humble and present yourself as someone willing to learn and you should be fine.