Sorry,
The forums are the largest cross section of people in the business available to the average non 121 pilot. Ask a DAL 777 Capt what he thinks about the industry, then the same question to a guy just off probation at a regional. The answers will be from different corners of universe. Decide which would be the most applicable to your potential positioning. Sorry to be negative, but even though I am nowhere near the bottom of the list, I fly every day with guys who are on reserve filling in for senior F/Os who are on vacation. The stories are remarkably similar to the stuff I experienced over the years.
For a guy who has a stable job, with a potentially close retirement to jump into the uncertainty of this industry, it's foolish unless he has "family money" or married rich. The years of angst slogging his way up multiple lists, while living in crash pads and commuting across the country isn't worth it at my pay scale, and at newhire scales even less so. Think about sleeping on an air mattress, in a sleeping bag on a living room floor with 10 other guys on your 50th birthday or Christmas, Easter, kids or parents birthdays. All for the opportunity to hand fly a 121 plane for the first 10 minutes and the last 5 minutes once or twice a day. But think of the opportunities you will experience while sitting in a TDY hotel in MKE for your 5 days of reserve, all the while not touching an airplane except for sitting in the back on a deadhead.
Sorry guys from this side of the curtain, coming to this flea circus is just a bad idea.