Hello all!! My road to Be a professional pilot will be a long one. Not being able to fully drop everything and do nothing but flight training is a bit of a detour, but not a road block. Most successful professional pilots have all of these ratings. All ratings are gained through skill development and professional knowledge. 

These are my goals:
PPL (Private Pilot's License): GOT IT!! This is the first level of flying. It is proof that a pilot has the ability to operate an aircraft safely within air traffic systems around the world. It's dubbed the "license to learn."

IFR rating (Instrument Flight Rules): This rating is an addition to the PPL. It certifies that a pilot can operate an aircraft without looking out of the window. A pilot can safely operate his aircraft under IFR (bad weather) conditions with complete reliance of his instruments, radios, and the watchful eye of air traffic controllers across the US. This is know as the most difficult rating to achieve.

CPL (Commercial Pilots License): This is considered the fun rating. Pilots learn commercial maneuvers in order to gain the proficiency it takes to be paid for their flight services.

MEL rating (Multi Engine): This rating allows a pilot to fly an aircraft with more than one engine. Due to the cost of operating multi engine aircraft, and the fact that all skills up to the Commercial level have to be demonstrated, most pilots moving up the pipeline save this rating until after gaining their commercial license.

CFI: (Certified Flight Instructor): This qualification is earned after not only demonstrating a complete mastery of an aircraft, but also the technical knowledge and ability to instruct others. A flight instructor has to be able to handle and situation a student pilot may put them in. Further, an instructor has to know when a student is ready to first, fly without his guidance, and second, is ready to be tested by the FAA. 
CFII (Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument): This qualification give is given to a CFI who has been certified to give instruction to a pilot taking IFR lesson. The CFI has to demonstrate a complete mastery of instrument knowledge. 

MEI (Multi Engine Instructor): This qualification is given to a CFI who is certified to teach pilots to fly with more than engine. Because most say that flying with more than one engine is easy, it is said the the MEI teaches a pilot to fly a multi engine plane using only one engine. That is, teaching them not to fear the loss of one engine. 

ATP (Air Transport Pilot): This is the Master's Degree of flying. A person with his ATP is certified to act as the sole decision maker of a flight crew. You might recognize one as the voice that says "this is your captain speaking...."