I agree with the above posters. If you think you'll be spending a year at a place like Mesa then diving out, you likely won't be that much ahead of what you would have been if you had instructed/built some more time then went straight to where you wanted to be. In fact, when you factor in the length of training, being on reserve, etc...you could easily build the time to get competitive more quickly OUTSIDE the regionals.

Good luck with your decision.