I'm not in this section because I'm thinking of leaving, but it's interesting to see other perspectives. I'm reminded of an old AF guy I knew that dogged the airlines and how terrible it was. I asked him where he got info since he's a full time reservist. Of course all his info came from a few buddies that lived on the west coast and commuted to the east coast...mostly on reserve. For a little balance talk to guys who live in base and if this base closes, the airline is likely closing as well lol. It is true that living in base is like an entirely different job. I've never had so much time off in my life and have only spent 45 nights away so far this year. 10 of those nights were voluntary as I wanted those overnights for travel purposes. For reference, I sit at 90% in my seat (WB FO) and if I so choose, I can bid a line every month. Reserve goes senior as we have lots of people who live in base...and it's a good life. All that said, I certainly see why some choose to leave based off their experiences. Though I worked hard to get here, I'll always admit that I've been very fortunate in my career.
I appreciate the perspective of other options, especially in the event of loss of medical. Thankfully our disability is pretty nice and would give ample time to figure out what's next. While I don't dwell on it, loss of medical is a real threat. I'm always looking at options for side hustles that could be easily and relatively quickly grown into a full time gigs.
Though it comes with is advantages/disadvantages, real estate has been a nice option because easily do it with all the off time the airlines provide. Right now, it's more of a long term investment, but worst case, I could easily turn it into cash flow to live on. There are a few other options I'm exploring as well...multiple streams of income are always nice to have. Even better if they can be (mostly) passive, or done from a phone/computer.
I'm gald the OP has found a happier calling. Good stuff!