Originally Posted by JohnBurke

What kind of idiot actually gets into aviation believing that, or stays there? You've told us previously that you stayed there for 20 years believing that.

I started flying as a teen and could see clearly what the industry was like, at the outset.

Obviously the business wasn't for you...or more likely, you weren't for the business. You've got thousands of posts whining about this and crying in your suds. Many in this thread are not in aviation because they've made a conscious decision to do something else. You're here because you want to convince more people to make such a decision. The truth, however, is that your efforts at a career were blind and shortsighted, and failed repeatedly.

Enough, already. You're embarrassing yourself.

I've "left" the business more times than I care to count. Never too far, though. Those who dabble in the airlines then give up have really missed the bigger picture. The industry is far too broad and pervasive to give up after sampling an entry level job.

I've moved to corporate, airline, ag, utility, test, maintenance, fractional , government, contract, and a host of other avenues as companies downsized, merged, sold, closed, and so on. I've taken jobs outside of flying, done a lot of work concurrent with other work, turned wrenches on aircraft as well as flying them (or instead of), and a lot of other things to keep a career going.

Those who build a career outside of aviation are acting intelligently and with foresight. Having marketable skills separate from flying, which has always existed on a razor-thin profit margin and stands as a leading economic indicator, is not only wise but essential.

Anyone who finds that their heart is no longer in what they do ought to move on, but those who find flying generally do so because of a deep-seated drive to fly. Giving up an airline job doesn't mean one must give up flying. It doesn't mean giving up flying for a living, either. There is always more than one way to skin the proverbial cat.