Hi, I have been at AE for almost 8 years now and your exactly right. There's alot of bad talk everywhere. First where ever you work do whatever you can not to commute, especially if you want to have any sort of family life what so ever. Also where ever you go plan on not making any money till you upgrade which with today's industry is just a guessing game. Also, all airlines are the same, they all have contracts, they all have pay scales, and they all have disgruntled employees no matter where you are. Sure some people are happier at certain places, it justs how the person handles each situation they have put themselves into. If your looking for just plain old PIC time, then my honest opinion is to find a charter company (135) and build yourself around 1500 hours of PIC which may take you 3 years or so to do this. During that time you will be making more than you would at a regional as an F/O plus you could still Flt Instr on the side and make extra. After that then see how the airline industry is doing and if you still want the 121 time then do 1 year at the regional to gather your 121 time. At that point you may have spent 3-4 years to become very marketable to go to the majors like Southwest, Jetblue, or so on. Plus you never know what oppurtunities may come around during your 135 time. There will be more options for you at that point then going straight to a regional airline and sitting in the right seat for a long time. Also keep in mind that if you go to a regional and decide to move then look at the domiciles first, this might help you make up your mind on where you decide to go. Hope this helps. At least you have the right frame of mind to ask these questions first before making the leap.