Good point. Many (perhaps most) of us have to admit that we've had no other real career except flying. (I'm not talking about summer jobs or other temporary employment, but full-time occupations which we expected to be permanent.) I think that such experience makes a big difference in how one views the pilot profession. Anecdotal reports from friends, even if accurate, just don't reflect what working life would be like for us on the "outside". There's no substitute for "been there, done that".