To make this truely a career mode a lot needs to change.
- Real and accurate flight lessons instead of these mickey mouse tutorials that teach people wrong stuff. FS9 and FSX had those lessons with Rod Machado which added much more depth. Maybe add something to read like in FS9 and FSX, there was some kind of built in Wikipedia were you could find everything from basic aerodynamics to VORs, etc.
- Correct certifications, you don’t need a PPL if you want to become a commercial pilot, you can go straight for CPL. Helicopter and fixed wing are separate career paths, you don’t need any fixed wing certificates before flying helo’s or vice versa.
- Make these certificates more realistic so that you actually need to do some (proper) lessons first, not a single circuit and done. Demonstrate proficiency in different elements, steep turn, stall, simulated engine failure, navigation, pattern work.
- Actually focus on the correct elements, aircraft limitations (e.g. flap speed) is a good metric, however, touchdown smoothess isn’t. Instead of focussing on touchdown smoothness, focus on maintaining correct approach path and speed, thresshold crossing height and speed, touchdown point and centerline keeping. Otherwise things like, how often is the player looking around if flying VFR, etc.
- Make it possible to skip all the certifications and jump straight into SAR, fire fighting, crop spraying etc. for those that are not interested in the career part. Either provide unlimited credits to do all the certifications without having to collect money in between and / or a “instant action” mode of some sorts.
- These AI generated missions are nice, but they still don’t come close to the excitement of the missions FSX had. Some were downright unrealistic of course, but most were quite interesting and educational, flying an NDB approach into Dutch harbor in bad weather with an instrument failure, passenger with a heart attack, dual engine flame out over the ocean, some missions needed some kind of decision to be made. I’m missing those kind of activities. Maybe it can be a mix between AI generated missions and hand crafted ones.
- These FSX rewards were also a whole different league compared to the achievements we have now… That would be amazing to bring back, these medals, patches, “bus ticket home”, post cards and what not.
For all the graphical improvements and now the built in flight planner and charts, a lot of things are still far behind FSX or even FS9. I think the educational value has been severely lacking ever since. These tutorials and missions are scratching the surface a little bit, but there is very little depth otherwise. The career mode is still such a far cry from the FSX flight lessons and missions.
I just remember the “flight analysis” in FS9 and X were you could actually see the route you have flown, speed and altitude plots. I have used that extensively when I was a student, flying basic IFR, intercepts, holdings, reversals with wind corrections and then use flight analysis to see whether it actually looks like a holding or a potatoe 
.
Still so much missing functionality. If it would somehow be possible to combine FSX functionality with Asobo graphics and flight model, that would be best of both worlds, some kind of FSX remaster 
.
FS9 and later FSX made me excited enought about aviation to learn more, study and later start a career in aviation. I’m not sure FS2020 / 2024 has the same effect on future pilots, it feels so much more gamey, it sure looks good. But does it motivate to dive deeper and learn more? I’m not sure 
.