To those people, I’d say “It’s called a savings account. You see, what you do is, you save money to prepare for that first year.”

Seriously, it’s a KNOWN quantity. Always has been. You’re going to take a pay cut. By year two at practicially every major you’ll be in the black. Year three well ahead of where you’d ever be at your regional. Further, by year two-three you can pretty much expect 15-17 days off. Oh, and the paint matches the paycheck.

I get if you live in IND and are at Republic, and don’t want to commute to JFK. But there are options, and many people aren’t willing to explore them. Which is great, because I am.