Chuck Ellsworth and Greywings:
I absolutely concurr with both of you. The decision is in the end highly personal and there are too many unknowable variables that need to be stirred into the equation to come up with an objectvely "correct" answer. If I remember my algebra, an equation with too many unknowns is unsolvable, so our young friend needs to go with his gut...be true to himself and decide on something he can live with...I know, for instance, that for me, any time spent in the right seat would generally be bad for my nervous system...so I made the choices I made knowing this about my own makeup (which still didn't prevent me from doing a pretty good job as an FO, I was told).
When faced with these "Fork in the Road" decisions, the outcomes of our choices only begin to resolve themselves about 5 years or so down the line. So, as in our flying, we have to make decisions based on information/gut feelings we have on hand and then we live with them.
A very wise pilot once told me, "You should never ask yourself 'what if ?' (as in what if I had done this or that) ask yourself only 'what now?'. Fine advice I have had to remind myself about while writing these posts.
Good luck, Neilson.