Once I got my PPL and realised that I wanted to do this commercial piloty stuff, I wouldn't have gone off and flown around drilling holes in the sky fat dumb and happy.
I would have contacted a CPL/IR FTO and asked them what would be useful to include in hour building. I would have asked what to include in flight planning so I wouldnt have difficulty with navigating properly. I would have asked to complete an IMC rating with the FTO to find out if this is the school I want to use and to get an idea of what their training methods are like and to see how to integrate that into my hour building.
I would not have forgotten everything I ever read in the Trevor Thom books about aerodynamics and the effects of controls. I would not simply assume that my PPL knowledge would carry me through the CPL. I would not make my mind up about FTO's based on second hand reports but visit a selection of schools before making an informed decision. I would not make the mistake of thinking that the cheapest school will save me money. I would not believe everything I hear form a marketing guy/girl. I wouldn't ignore the advice given to me by someone who had already walked the walk. I wouldn't believe the careers officer at school who said an airline pilot needs 20/20 vision. I wouldn't wait until I was middle aged and, errrm, cuddly before trying to become a commercial pilot.........
Other than that, its been good fun so far.