Originally Posted by wrxpilot

You sure write "We" a lot in your post, when it sounds like a lot of your problems are directly related to your poor decision making.

I got into aviation when I was in my mid-20s, and I researched the heck out of it. I quickly discovered that there are quick but extremely expensive ways to become a pilot, and slower but much more affordable ways to do it. Having a basic understanding of debt and potential difficulties paying off debt as an entry level commercial pilot, I took my time and paid cash for all of my ratings.

How many times have "we" (as readers of aviation internet forums) seen newbies ask about expensive flight training options, only to have them argue with us when we try to explain how miserable their life will be with all of that debt? Yet common sense goes right out the window, and instant gratification gets them into a terrible situation. Inevitably these same people come back years later, saddled with crippling debt and a bad attitude, complaining how they've been eating ramen noodles for years while living in some dumpy crashpad in Newark (or some other crappy city). It really is annoying, particularly since the most basic of financial planning skills would have meant a much, much better life for these folks.

There's absolutely no excuse for people that put themselves into these bad situations anymore... There is SO much data out there on how poorly pilots are typically paid the first few years, and how wide ranging flight training costs can be depending on how you approach it. This info has been readily available for at LEAST 10 years or more, so I really don't think there's any excuse for ignorance these days.