You do of course realize most lawyers and doctors don't make anywhere close to that much right? And I can tell you that being an airline pilot requires less school, less financial investment, and is less work on an hour-by-hour basis than either of those professions. We are delusional to think that this is something other than a "higher-level" blue collar job. We operate heavy machinery and are members of unions. Everyone should read Flying the Line volumes 1 and 2... Automation is coming in the next decades and all it takes is another financial downturn or major war to happen and we're all out on the street again. This profession will never be "what it was". The truth is I try and discourage people from becoming professional pilots. I enjoy what I do, but this industry isn't that great. And the lifestyle will wear on you after a while. And there is no real hope of making it significantly better for future generations of pilots because time and technology simply aren't on our side.