Programs like GIA's will never go away because the majority of their applicants are uneducated about our industry. They have never heard of this website, their friends are all on the outside looking in with them, and none of us "veterans" are showing up at job fairs to inform the new guys. The GIA inductees are just looking for a way in, and they believe that experience (hours) speaks the loudest. Getting 121 ME time is gold to them. And until the past year, 121 ME time was gold. You can pay thousands to GIA, or you can pay it to your University. In the end, we all have loans and we all make it to someplace better than GIA if we want to. I agree that GIA is not the most cost-effective option for getting one's foot in the door, and I also agree that pilots paying to work is detrimental to us all. But, it is a small group that does so. The net effect on the industry is minimal, and if I had a choice between 500 wunderkids, I think I would choose the guy with 300 in a 1900 versus 300 in a 172.