Sky, your story is not very accurate after about stage 7. There are many outcomes to the career pilot dream and end game regret is only one of them. Many if not most of the pilots who love their work are not here plugging for it in the "Leaving the Career" forum. It would be more accurate if your story dropped in some real statistics. What percentage of the professionals leave the career before age 65? What percentage gets laid off? I think you have a pretty good story up to a point, very thought provoking, but it needs some more facts. It does not ring true as it stands because each of us knows a pilot who loves his work.