The problem is that hindsight is always 20/20. I don't want this poster or anyone else to be one of those "(insert flight school name here) stole my money" people. They are businesses, and they are in the business of making money. It doesn't mean they aren't trying to do a good job or provide you with a good product, but all too often the "student" doesn't understand the industry, how it works, how it doesn't work, and so on. They want to think they have a "shot" at "making it", and no one wants to make it sound completely negative, but the flight school doesn't care about this and is only in it to make their money. No one is "looking out for them". So in the end when you've spent 60-100,000+ bucks and fully understand/figure out how the industry works, you are in a rage against the flight school and/or regional airline. The wonderful thing about today is that this information is available and much more accessible than it was 10 or 20 years ago. You must realize that there are things you can do and things you can't do. You are taking far more of a "chance" in this industry than in most any other. You are rolling the dice and hoping that against the odds, the industry gets better, you get more hours than the guy you're being compared with, you have more turbine time than him, your medical status doesn't change or degrade, and so on. It's not about how good you can be in this industry, it's much more down to chance.

If you're dream is to fly a 777 across the ocean, are you willing to endure 40 years in the industry so you can do this in your last 5? Only you can determine if it's worth it, but once again, consider all the other ways to experiene and enjoy aviation, such as EAA, flying clubs, owning your own airplane, building your own airplane, getting advanced certifiactes and type ratings on the side, and so on. Think about specializing in aviation insurance, aviation law, engineering, safety, business, etc. All of these have infinitely more flexibility and opportunity without having to "hope against hope" that your path ends up with the "big money" at the end.

Nothing is worse IMO than blaming people for "getting in the industry" or saying "well they should have known" when they were young and simply didn't have the information. If we knew everything that we were going to encounter, I'm sure we'd all make better choices. Not necessarily different lifestyles or even industry, but we'd know what to avoid and what to do. So go out there and get the information. Ask people how long they've been at regional airlines. Don't ask about what they "think" might happen, ask about what they've experienced and encountered, then consider if you want to experience the same or if the same factors are in place that would cause you to experience the same.