Self Sponsored ratings
Simply put, telling people not to go for self-sponsored ratings does not work.
I was the fool who followed that advice back in the early 2000s when the bar was set at 500 multi. Off I went to “do things the right way” and build up 500 hours of multi, and in the interim the industry became almost exclusively self sponsored. I saw the next twenty years of my career involve a hard slog to get back on economic parity with my peers, some who are close friends, who self-sponsored. I’ve never paid for a rating in my career, but would have had a much easier ride if I did.
It’s akin to telling a drowning man to let go of a piece of string as it’s not strong enough to hold their weight. You can shout, “wait for a rope!” They’re still going to grab it.
Those inside the industry need to fight equally as hard to put down self-sponsored ratings. Hire talent, not just the wallet. It’s in all of our interests to do so, not just the young wannabes who don’t have many options.