To the OP:

There are a couple of common themes that make their way through the threads on any aviation website, including this one: first, try to do this debt-free or as close to it as you can get, and second, the folks who have made a career switch from something else to flying tend to be more appreciative of what the airline lifestyle has to offer.

There are a lot of highs and lows, it's a very dynamic industry, and a lot of things can go wrong...but a lot of things can go right. In the end, it's a gamble, and I think that's what upsets a lot of the folks on here. They feel like they placed a [huge] bet, and lost.