Personally I think it is a bit of a shame that guys choose to head straight for an airline job at such a young age. Imagine how thoroughly jaded you'll be after 40 years of such flying, with no new experiences left to sample no matter how much you enjoy it all to start with.
Whilst I also don't agree with the route forced upon some of our colonial cousins that time must be served elsewhere before being allowed to join a major airline, it does seem to me that the guys who come into airline flying from other aviation avenues (GA, corporate, ex-mil etc etc), have had a great deal more fun and enjoyment than those who will never know anything else.
It's a fabulous and varied world out there, don't be in such a hurry to limit yourself to just one small part of it.
