A friend of mine is waiting to be accepted as a flight attendant at Mesa Airlines hopefully this month.
He also wants to be a pilot but he isn’t decided yet.
Should he accept the job if he gets it and try to learn how to fly in between trips? Get airline operation experience and learn to fly. What’s your opinion?

How is he going to be able to afford to get his pilots license as a flight attendant?

This isn’t an impossible route, but an unlikely one of success. My recommendation: go get a private license (or more ratings) first. If you like being a pilot, then consider this route.

A better route than flight attendant would be to work in Phoenix in some of Mesa’s flight operations areas. That way you have the time to learn to fly.

There are definitely ex-FA's flying as airline pilots. But usually they are people who got interested in flying asfter having been exposed to it.

But if you already know you want to be a pilot, that isn't the best path, mainly because the pay is low. There's no real benefit to working as an FA first, other than knowing how to organize your luggage and how to bid.

I know more flight attendants who said they wanted to become pilots and never did than those that actually became pilots. Just saying.

If someone really wants to become a pilot, becoming a flight attendant first is not the best route. Especially for Mesa. Little to no schedule flexibility, horrendously low pay. Better off bartending. Seriously.

The problem with the save a little, fly a little technique is that you end up having to buy more time just relearning the previous lesson that you forgot because it's been 2-3 weeks since you saved enough for the next lesson.

More importantly there won't be much money left over on flight attendant income to pay for flight lessons. 0 hours to CFI cost about $70k these days. You're better off working a higher paying job, saving up and then resigning while taking some combination of a student loan. That way you can go full time and start earning a CFI paycheck in a year.

Lastly, having FA experience adds little to no value to a pilot resume in the eyes of employers. It's not very hard to get a regional airline pilot job these days.

However, it is a good way to get exposure to the lesser points of an airline career and may help with the final decision of that is a lifestyle you see yourself in.
Do it at least a year so it doesn’t look like resume fodder.
Then get an Airport job that allows you to train on the side. You could have your CFI in a year and back at the place you worked at as an FA in 3 years from now.

Honestly, I recommend he just get a private pilot license to start off with because it doesn't sound like he's that serious if "he isn't decided yet" as you mentioned. Being a FA vs becoming a pilot are two very different paths. He needs to think long and hard because it's a long and hard road to become a career pilot. If he's not in love with being a pilot it could mean many years of his life wasted along with a mountain of debt.

Exactly and that’s why it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a look in the industry.
A lot of people I’ve met are in love with the idea of being a pilot and not with flying.

He thanks you all for the thoughts and ideas! Thank you guys!
Any FA forums? Like APC but for Mesa FAs for him to tune in on?