I'm currently an airline pilot on AD orders at MAJCOM/HQ...I get peppered with questions all the time about guard/reserve, airlines, quality of life, etc. I'm as honest as I can be with the younger guys and the overriding sentiment is angst about the second half of their careers. And they're accurate when they fully realize that the second half isn't going to be nearly as much fun as the first half. Staff tours, PME, in school residences, lack of flying jobs, budget uncertainties...all weigh in on them. At the same time, they see a guy like me doing the same thing they're doing, but I'm still flying my tail off at my AFRC unit up the road and I've got a great airline job waiting for me when I decide I'm bored of the AD grind or the orders run out. Once the 10 year point hits, the future of their flying careers is extremely uncertain. After staff and school, only the chosen few will return to flying squadrons as DOs and CCs, and the reward for that is longer office hours and less flying hours. The guard and reserve is where it's at....all of it. The cost savings, the flying hours, the quality of life, the opportunities. Guys should weigh their options carefully. Frankly, our senior leadership has their head in the sand. Of course, they're products of the system they love so much, why wouldn't they defend the status quo?