ConnectionPilot,

I was fortunate enough to be able to skip the instructor thing myself, and at times I feel like maybe I should have gone that route for some of the same reasons that the other guys are talking about. Such as, the more I learn the less I know, or learning the mechanics of flight in greater depth by being able to watch someone else screw up and have to find a way to help the student learn the correct way to do it. After all instructors don't teach, they show the student how to learn. So I learned in CFI ground at the 141 state university program I went through. I was able to get a job in the maintenance
hangar for the school I was attending just before I got my instrument and gained the experience required to get my A&P sign off while building time flying planes that had just been repaired or shuttleing them back and forth from the satellite campus to the main campus and the like. Got payed while getting discounts on training, and got to fly the Deans and Higher ups in the university. Then I got hired doing pretty much the same stuff for a company that leases aircraft to flight schools who don't have the capital to buy their own. I do all the maintenance flights for the hangar as well as deliver and pick-up planes to and from customers all over the country (true x-country time) in all kinds of weather in all kinds of airspace. I do all the flying, sometimes in a crew environment but usually not. I've flown with all kinds of instructors with all kinds of hours on acceptance flights and everytime am amazed at how far behind the plane most of these guys are. Not dissing on anyone here nor tooting my own horn but give me a break. I know I'm going to catch a lot of crap for "writing my life story" here, but simply telling you how I did it and that there are plenty of other ways to build your time and most importantly experience than sitting in the right seat saying more right rudder all day. Good Luck in whatever you decide to do.