Well my first post on PPRUNE since being retired from another site
-- Chad looking at your posts I need some more information on your personal statis -- are you mobile or do you have a family to think about -- if you are going to plan a career in Canadian aviation there are a few years of hard knocks ahead - having a forced retirement from the "heavy metal"and finding back at my grass roots of aviation I am a little appalled at the state of entry level jobs and how it's stuck in the 70"s and 80's mentality of most small operators with unrealistic bonds and substandard salaries but guys are doing it and progressing - who would ever thought that there would be f/o's in navahoes and PC12's but it's all about that first full time job - instructing my pay a little money but in reality the time is not taken too seriously by "commercial" operators and sadly the time is only good to build up a few hundred hours or to being a full time instructor. To venture out you need the IFR or a float rating (which seems to have less work now) and be prepared to eat craft dinner and canned tuna for at least 2 years but I see guys doing it and progressing and some even winning a small lottery by progressing from a pilot wanta-be to f/o on a heavy turbine in 3 months - but it's dirty and very hard work slugging upwards of 60 thousand pounds of freight on a busy day -- guaranteed you would look back on it and consider it the most fun you ever had in aviation if you are the type with a sense of adventure -- it's tough on relationships and foot loose and fancy free is best - if you already have a wife and family it makes it even tougher - not many companies will allow entry level pilots to rotate or commute and for sure if you could score that schedule likely it would be be on your own skinny dime --
Putting all the doom and gloom aside if you are serious about getting ahead take on the "trial by fire" -- if not get a regular job and instruct on the side to get your aviation fix -- it's been done before and most that have gone that route claim it's for the best.
cheers and good luck