Originally Posted by
pilot674
That was misstated.I can get my CFI,however, at 34 it would take at lease 3 years to build the time. Then another 5 years at a regional;by the time i apply for a major i'll be 42. At this age the prospect of being hired by a big airline drops.
42 means you'd have 23 years to fly for a "major", I'm still not seeing the issue. If you don't want to instruct then don't, but you're only fooling yourself to suggest that instructing is a detriment to the progression of an aviation career. I admit that instructing is not for everyone, but if you rule it out in this economy you'll severely limit your options.
Also, consider quality of hours while you're building time. Who do think would be more proficient when it comes time for an interview - A CFII or a guy pulling banners or dropping skydivers in day VFR?