Originally Posted by
cactipilot
Hey, as a military guy I can say waiting and losing a few seniority spots is not the end of the world. DO NOT DO THIS (take the earlier class) IF YOU LOSE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY FOR SUMMER. This job is in many respects more arduous than dealing with military deployment cycles so please think twice. You will most definitely hear many people say what is considered a commandment to them : "Seniority is everything" but hey, you're coming to a 14k plus pilot airline. a few classes will not make a difference, and may even benefit your initial assignment in some way which you won't know until it happens. Enjoy a break, especially if you get to do things you want to do. You will see being a civilian professional aircrew member brings with it a substantial loss of independence and scheduling certainty for a while.
This is the worst advice ^^
1 class can make the difference between getting furloughed or not getting furloughed. For some, it made the difference between getting furloughed only once instead of twice. It can make the difference between holding WB CA, or not. It can make the difference when it comes to getting above the G line in the left seat of a widebody. It can make the difference between getting Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc off.
Get there fast, take it slow. Take the first newhire class you can, then delay upgrade if you want, but don't delay the day that your seniority starts.