flexibleresponse...your name is a bit at odds with your advice...
"...If offered an SO or an FO position, always take the FO position
if offered an FO or a Capt position, always take the Capt position
.its that simple"....
..errr..well its not really is it?..should we take a Metroliner captain job as opposed to a Virgin Blue FO job?..or should we take a highland express or Eastern Airlines left seat instead of BA 744 copilot?.....
...it really really isn't that simple..it just boils down to what suits a particular individual at the time...and even then you are always going to be at the mercy of market forces...I have a friend who joined City Flyer Express at the same time I joined a major scheduled shorthaul jet airline ..and by virtue of mergers and takeovers, he's now a BA Captain, and I'm not...not sour grapes.. just an illustration that it really, REALLY isn't 'that simple'