Originally Posted by SkyHigh

Maybe you are right. Perhaps this career is about unending sacrifice and hardship. Like I have previously said it seems like one is expected to give it all till there is nothing left of our lives but sleep and work. If you are comfortable with multiple furloughs, layoffs and shutdowns and still come back for more then my next question is that where does one draw the line? When do we start to respect ourselves? The industry sure will not. Not so long as they can kick someone to the curb for decades and they keep coming back.

Skyhigh:

Jeeeze...please point out a "career" that is free of hardship, fair and in recognition of skill, dedication and passion above all else and you'll be the pied piper of modern times. Of course I wasn't "comfortable" with furloughs and disappointments that had nothing to do with me...who is? I chose this career because it's all I ever really wanted to do. When income came up short, I picked up additional work (fortunately in aviation) until I got something better. I never burned bridges at jobs, never let my CFI expire and didn't treat those that some would consider "below me" below me, because beyond being a crappy way to live will deny you some good opportunities.

When puppies ask about starting out in this thing of ours I first ask why...really why they want to do it. If it's the "money", the "glamour" or flight attendant panties I strongly encourage them to go to business school and learn to sell junk bonds or raid airlines like Jet Blue. Because unless one lives the charmed life in this thing there WILL be setbacks that have little or nothing to do with you because anything less than a true love of flying for flying's sake will not carry you through those tough times, and in many cases innocent families may suffer so that somebody with the wrong motivation was playing airline pilot but didn't have the guts to see it through. By all measures, most would have quit if in my shoes 14 years ago, but since I didn't, combined with some good fortune (different than luck) I am in a great position and not inclined to apologize for it.

Nowhere in the brochure that I read did it say that my bosses would love me, I'd only work five days a month, make 500K a year and have all the women call me captain with adoring eyes. Maybe somebody should have given you the speech when you were a puppy and you could have gone to selling junk bonds, raiding Jet Blue and being called sir by employees who hate your guts but have families to feed. Some people just need to be cubicle monkeys I guess. Crap or get off the pot sport...somebody who wants it more is behind you.