Cubdriver

You sound like you have been flying professionally for not very long. A starting engineer makes three times the salary those who start at a routine regional earn (or more). He or she goes home at 5pm without fail and sleeps there 7 nights a week. He or she has no flight training to pay off as the regional pilot does or normally would, I guess I should say. He or she has their weekend off without fail and without interruption. If you think their life is boring well, I doubt it will be much more or less boring than the regional FO's especially after shiny jet syndrome wears off. Even if it is, they will be home in 3 hours and can just sweat out the difference.

As for the assertion you make there is no pilot shortage, all I have to say is the money is what talks. When the money says a regional will pay a brand new CRJ or turboprop FO $50,000 a year starting from indoc, and not later when they feel like it, then I will listen to any and all arguments claiming a pilot shortage. Until then the current popular rhetoric there is a pilot shortage is no more than propaganda believed only by those who have not taken economics. What's more it represents the spreading of a pernicious falsehood, a sort of hope-based aviation dope dealing. It encourages persons to go head over heels into a circus that has hard knocks and long hours at the other end. The best it can be is a lottery ticket with odds that change all the time. Good luck; I think you are going to need it in your line.

But all in good conversation, I am not here to make sour faces. I write posts on this board to spice up the day at work. I love pilots, even those who waterlog the HR inboxes at regionals that totally suck in all respects. If you believe what you are saying, then that's cool I guess we are both pretty happy about it.