Its funny how most of the ppl on here who complain are regional FOs who thought they would be making 100k a year by now. If you can't live on 40k a year you should probably try to learn how to manage your money better. Average income in most of the US is in the mid to lower 30k range.

Do I think we should all work for better pay and work rules... of course. But you should have known what this lifestyle would be like before you signed up for your first flight in your private training. Young pilots have been elegible for food stamps for many decades now... this is nothing new.

This whole string of posts is just one sob story after another... get over it.

When I was thinking about starting pursuing a career in flying a family friend of ours who has flying 121 for decades straight out told me that I would qualify for food stamps in my first few years in the industry. This was his situation in the 70's and nothing has changed to this day. I knew this coming in and decided it was worth it to do something I love. Someone obviously should have told all of you about this, maybe then you would be able to "cope" a little better.