I guess I have some rose colored glasses because I've been fortunate enough to interact with other professionals in various fields throughout my short career and hearing their take on life/success/careers has shaped my mindset.

Being gone from friends family etc (You're a pilot, did you expect something different when you signed up?) is not exclusive to the aviation industry at all. Software/hardware techs often fly out Sunday evening, get home late Friday night, repeat. A large percentage of any type of engineer works 10-14 hour days 5-6 days a week (sister in law started at 58k out of school for EE and hasn't cracked 70k yet after 3ish years, isn't expecting to ever break more than 100k or so with a degree and MBA). True big money guys, bankers and surgeons/doctors spend far far more in school than you can dream of, work way longer days than you can dream of, and their respective fields are far more competitive than you can dream of. Don't see many people in here lasting the first 2-3 years of an IB career making 75k+ bonus living in NYC working 20 hour days 6 days a week punching numbers into spreadsheets (after you've graduated in the top 5% of your top tier business school). Or surviving the better part of a decade med school lasts + specialty work, being 250-500k in school loan debt and making 50-70k as a resident for almost as long.

Aviation definitely has one of the highest per capita "special flower" groups I've encountered. The most level-headed guys i've come across were career changers who have worked for a long while at something else and then realized how relatively simple this career is.

$85k starting as an FO is laughable. $40k, sure, that's reasonable. Never understood the people who structured their lives in a way that starting their career wouldn't even be feasible. Gotta think long term gents.

It's great to be optimistic and wanting to change the career for the better. I genuinely believe, despite union concessionary voting statistics, that every pilot/person in this field wants things to get better. Reality comes crashing down though. Your hope for a better future doesn't make you paying your bills or being unhappy about your current situation any different. It's all a mindset, accepting the present, but working towards a more optimistic future. Remember, the average annual household income in the US is 50k. There are a lot of mid 20's FOs doing better than the average citizen in this country. Keeps things in perspective.

(fyi my last paycheck was $595 after tax)