Originally Posted by
Uncle Bose
There's no comparing doctors and pilots. Doctors have much better job stability (pilots have zero), lateral mobility (pilots have zero), and earning power than pilots. You might never even see the types of numbers he'll be making in his first year of practice. If you do, it won't be until the tail end of your career.
I'm an optimist and confident I can make what he'll make in his first year of practice well before the tail end of my career. The only scenario that would make your statement true would be if I spent my entire aviation career at a regional.
Most airline pilots I communicate with on these message boards are unhappy with their careers, but not one of the pilots I know personally (outside of these boards) regrets choosing the airlines as a career. Now, I'm not so naive as to think that a career as an airline pilot is void of its problems, but the airline pilots I personally know are happy with their careers and make more than what my friend will make his first year. They are by no means at the tail end of their careers.
So far I've been pretty lucky in my aviation career, I've been at the right place at the right time and have made friends who are now in the right places. With the same fortune I'm sure I'll reach my career goals in due time.
One last comment about the family life thing.... What one family decides to do with their own family is no one else's business. By your standards I was an irresponsible husband for choosing a career as a Marine knowing I would leave my wife for six months to serve in the desert. Be careful where you point fingers.