Well said FLY6584. I've haven't had the best luck in this industry so far... I started flying 12 years ago, and am still at a regional with no end in sight. But I'm still making pretty good money (on track to clear six figures), I never pick up trips, and work just over half the month. That's pretty damn good, particularly since I NEVER bring work home with me.
I used to work an 8-5 job as an engineer. I made significantly less money, I worked Mon-Fri, and sometimes weekends (for free - yay salary!). I had every night at home. I got home around 6 pm if traffic wasn't bad, went to the gym, got home around 7:30, ate dinner, watched TV for an hour or so, then had to go to bed. Got up at 5:30 am, got ready, and then got to commute in with EVERYBODY else during rush hour. Yep, being home every night sure was great!
Today I worked - reserve at home. I slept in, ate a leisurely breakfast, watched some Netflix, took a shower, went mountain biking, and now I'm sitting around home reading APC and reddit. Not too bad!
Yes, my passion for aviation has really dwindled. I still like it somedays, but gone are the days of just driving out to the airport for fun. But now I have a (usually) fun job that gives me A LOT of time off to go do what I like.