N6724g
First of all, I never said that you were any less of a pilot. I didn't mean to offend you if I did. I am also a college graduate, and a naval officer. So if you are 37, I am guessing that you are an O-4, making pretty good cash. Well, when you start out in aviation and the civilian side, no matter where it is, you will be taking a pay cut. A nice sized pay cut if you go to a regional airline to start your professional aviation career. I was involved with naval aviation while in active duty. I also have bills, no children though. It is a tough transition to go from officer pay to $1000/month. I know that the airlines aren't the only way out there to fly. I don't want to be an airline pilot for the rest of my life either. My goal is to end up as a corporate or chater guy, ultimately Net Jets. Any company out there who is paying you while you train, is going you to want to be able to get it done a specified amount of time. Any CFI, who you may think is awesome, may say that you are not ready in order to get more time or money out of you. I can't do that at ATP, I have a fixed amount of time that I have to get my students through, I make the same amount of money whether I fly or not. I have seen people get washed out of both military and airline training. They don't have time or the resources to continue to pay those people who take longer than they want. I am not saying don't get your ratings the way you want. If you want to take 2-3 years, that is fine. I was just saying that ATP and other structured programs can get you ready for your future whatever it is in aviation. There is a big difference between GA training and professional aviation training no matter where it is.