Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

And for many of my classmates, it's peanut wages for 10+ yrs effectively, given that you "top out" around 40K/yr with little ability to move beyond that in the airline industry. Nothing can really progress given that there are too many airlines, planes and pilots out there. Think about the fact that wages have gotten lower and lower over the last 15yrs as airlines have whittled away at what you make as a pilot, just so the next start-up or regional airline can fly a few routes for cheaper than was done before. It's a cut-throat business and there aren't any signs it will get better, sooooo.....

Do you think you love flying, being in the air, looking down on people below, doing a few turns, maybe making a challenging landing every once and a while, going out to new and interesting places, having lunch, maybe doing a ski-trip, visiting relatives and friends, and basically "enjoying" flight, or:

Do you think you love the lifestyle of a pilot? quick turn-arounds, usually the same routes, commuting to work, poor rest, routines with little change, dealing with passengers, living in airports, etc. The "pilot lifestyle" of lots of days off with high pay is pretty rare these days. This is from the 60s, 70s and 80s and has inspired a lot of people to become pilots.

Each has it's benefits, working for the airlines you can often fly places in your free-time, if you have enough of it and enough extra money to spend at said destination, but you gotta ask some hard questions. Do you love aviation? Do you love (or think you'll love) flying? Do you think that means you'll love airlines, or can you do something else in aviation that will allow you to fly or have the financial means to own/build your own plane? There are lots of other pilot jobs out there, especially if you keep costs low and do not go to an "aviation" college or big flight school and put yourself way far in debt where you have few skills and hours outside of standardized airline practices/preparation. Many of the "0-CFI in 6 months" type operations or any that promise you certs and ratings fast are almost worthless as far as experience goes, as you forget it as quickly as you learned it, but by controlling your costs and paying it as you move along, you will have been flying for a longer period of time, and be better able to go back and reflect upon your experiences and challenges. It's harder to do your ratings and certs over a longer period of time for sure, but it's also probably better in the sense that it forces you to study more, to reflect more, to think more and not just do stuff like a robot. Then you can think about things like bush-flying, cargo-flying (for smaller operators), sightseeing, working into corporate flying, government flying jobs, forest service, and so on. There are a lot of things outside of airlines, and unfortunately the entire aviation industry seems to be driven towards the "airline funnel", except that it truly is a funnel and only a few people will make it past the "neck", because there just aren't that many jobs compared to qualified pilots, and the rest of the airline jobs are pretty crappy in terms of pay and benefits. Do you want to sacrifice 20-30 years so in the last 5 you can fly a 787, or have more fun and do your flying more on your own terms, maybe with a job or career that allows you to own your own plane? Nothing says you can't even become a CFI and instruct other people on the side outside of some other non-flying job, thereby bringing in even more revenue and keeping yourself flying with new challenges. Lots of opportunities out there for someone that is willing to think and see beyond airlines. Good luck!

Think about airport operations, aviation administration/business, safety, engineering (not just aeronautical, but mechanical and industrial), Air Traffic Control, FAA, and so on...