Thanks for the input, everyone. It's given me some things to think about.

He's talking about non-135 sight seeing charters. Gota stay close and bring them back to where they started from or you have to have a 135 cert.

Go Broncos!

That being said I don't know if you are still in lower MI area but it is going to be tough around here. Kids will give their soul for a free hour of flight and there is a ton of them in the area. After I graduated from WMU I had a real tough time finding any flying and I was willing to do anything. After I got a few hundred more hours under my belt there seems to be jobs everywhere. Most of the skydiving gigs want you full time or as an on-call backup. Banner towing has been big around the area but that takes a different kind of pilot and the ones I know want at least 500hrs. So from another in the area I would say CFI and build some hours. Share what you love with others and that might just be everything you want. I know a few people who do this and it really works out well for their lifestyle.

Dropping skydivers is a weekend job typically and some of the most fun flying I ever did. Very repetitive, but the people at my drop zone made it quite an experience and very rewarding.

Woohoo, go Broncos! Yep, that's where I graduated from.

I am still in southwest Michigan and from what I've been hearing here and on another forum, the type of flying I'm trying to find doesn't really exist. If I were willing to put my all into it I could definitely get somewhere, but flying is really taking a back seat to the other career moves I'm making in life. I suppose I'll just have to settle for recreational flying when I can afford it.

I heard that there is some kind of flying club in Kalamazoo... do any of you know anything about it? (Seeing as how some of you that commented went to WMU.)

Just because you're a CFI doesn't mean you are an aspiring airline pilot.
Benefits of being a CFI are as follows:
1.) sharpens your skills as a pilot
2.) makes you some money, which was the point of your original post.
I made $4000/ month flying as a CFI with a cirrus owner flying 8 full days per month. I thoroughly enjoyed being a CFI andive never planned on flying for the airlines.

Go Broncos!

The Kalamazoo flying club is partly run my Matt George 2695986500 I think is still his cell number or look him up on Facebook.

I know that Marshall has a glider school and may look for a tug pilot here and there I am not sure. Rapid air out of Grr has some part time pilots but once again they must meet 135 mins.

Good luck and safe flying

I'll put some more thought into it - thanks!

Joel? I've heard your name before, may have met you at Oshkosh once.... although that would have been three years ago.

Thanks for the info, I'll definitely look into that!