The
Qantas cadet scheme seems to want to push cadets through a course at Swinburne. So maybe if our young lad doesn't get into the 2009 intake, being at Swinburne might not be a bad thing to have on the CV for 2010.
Mate there has been much bandwidth taken up regarding the pros & cons of getting a piece of paper with respect to a flying career. I'm not a flyer so I can only speak about the non-flying world... but it's no load to carry to have something useful in your back-pocket and can help your career when you are eventually looking beyond the right-hand seat of a 320.
The question you should be asking is not so much 'what's the quickest way to the RH seat of an A320?' but rather 'what's the best way to ensure I have a solid career in aviation and am equipped to take advantages of opportunities which come along both in and out of flying?'
Three or four years now, will count HEAPS when you're 45 and thinking that you've been flying for 20-odd years, have never been to a parent-teacher night, missed seeing your kid's first steps, not seen an Ashes or Wallabies test in years and missed friends' and family big days because you've always been away... things flying people in my family, and friends, whinge to me about on an increasingly regular basis (my arline & military flying family & friends runs to 4 immediate family, 3 extended family and 5 close friends so I do get to hear about it!). That said, one is in his late-40s, just converted to a new type and still loves it.
Take some time to reflect, don't be in so much of a hurry that you fail to see the view along the way. Like
Di_Vosh says, don't necessarily go for the
quickest way, but the
best. They are often different.
The biggest mistake you can make is trying to get too far, too fast. You need to get some life experience - not just in flying, but things in general. Rushing headlong to get somewhere before you've filled in the blanks always ends in tears. It's the old 'walk before you run' scenario. There will still be loads of girls out there who'll be dazzled by your uniform when you're 25 or 30, rather than 21.
That's probably 5c worth...