Originally Posted by
ImSoSuss
If it is a choice between starting a Part 121 job or staying a CFI with no other prospects it is a bad idea not to take the contract college degree or not.
Not sure if that's meant to be a rhetorical question or not. I'll assume it's not.
Nobody ever really knows the "Five years on, what will have been a smart choice today?" They for sure had NO CLUE in October 2019 about October 2024.
Historically, most major hiring of civilians has been people with >1000hrs TPIC. A five year contract today doesn't seem like an awful option. Evaluate it against your other options, to include leaving aviation. It may well be your best choice. It seems likely that such a contract is going to be the only way to a regional job this year.