Originally Posted by BrownDoubles

Notice I said, "If I had to do it over again"; the point being that I went through exactly what the OP is considering and having to make the decision again would choose a different path despite it working out just fine.

You make a good point and I should explain my position better; my statement that by living in base my QOL would not have been significantly different than working the sim job and being home every night. I think it is safe to say that choosing to commute will put a person on the road a minimum of 50% of the time, while junior significantly more.

To your point if I had to make the decision again being anchored somewhere and having to commute, I would still choose the airline route. The lost seniority and money wouldn't be worth the few years of gained QOL through the sim job for a few years.