Originally Posted by
gloopy
I agree with all that. I think some regional "lifers" WAY underemphasize this. Maybe back when first year pay was in the 20's and 30's (not that long ago) you could see doing that. But now its in the 80's with ultra fast wide body and even upgrade opportunities, etc that unless you're a triple dipping check airman contract ninja it rarely, if ever, makes long term sense not to make the move. Not to mention that if you truly "can't afford" to go all the way down to the 80's for one year in exchange for likely a million or more in career earnings, you're not managing your finances very well.
Talking to the old timers, I've figured it's much more psychological than logical. People feel secure with what they have, they know what to expect, no surprises. They are NOT risk takers, and therefore hold themselves back from career earning potentials for less money and more security.
It's always a risk changing shops, but in my personal opinion, the biggest one is not taking that risk.