Originally Posted by Electra

Well... Most people (myself included) tend to blow off steam here. It is NOT necessarily indicative of the global experience here. Longtime reserves will universally complain about the raw treatment they get from scheduling. Many people commute to reserve and are happy to get a TDY or a 5 day trip and the perdiem and get out of the hotbunked crash pad. But some of us live in domicile and get pretty peeved when we get sent somewhere week after week that people would like to transfer to, and sit 5 days unused, possibly costing us time at home with a loved one and the potential to sleep in our own bed. But SkyPilot35 is correct in that you are theirs for the duration of your reserve week. You have to stop expecting to stay home and get paid to play XBox until your eyes bleed, instead a day spent at home without a call should be a pleasant surprise.

As to your fear of missing out on your kids, well, that is the nature of this business. It's a decision only you can make for yourself. Depending upon where you choose to live and where you choose to be based, your time on reserve could be pretty short or long-term, your ability to tailor your schedule will depend on a lot of factors. You WILL be working weekends and holidays for a long time, and you'll probably miss a few birthdays. Down the road upgrading to Captain or going to a major will probably require the same kind of consideration. This isn't for everybody. It IS still the best job I've ever had.