If you're heart is set on flying and you want to do it because flying is what you enjoy, go for it! If, on the other hand, you want to be a pilot because of the pay, schedule, or because it's cool, I would recommend staying away because you'll quit before making it past the regionals.

A goverment job is more stable and the benefits are much better so if this is highest on your priority list, you know where you should go. I personally left a federal government job after finishing my ratings so that I could make $45,000 less per year flying night cargo. Some of my friends called me an idiot because I was well established in my career with 9 years civil service and another 8 years of active military time that counted towards seniority. Fact of the matter is that I left to do a job that I enjoy and I still have no regrets, even though times have been tough recently.

I made it to Aloha Airlines just 4 1/2 years after my first flight in a cessna so I was feeling pretty excited about my career choice. Unfortunatly I was terminated as soon as I finished training because the company shut down. It sucks, but I look at it as just another bump in the road. If you can have a similar outlook, the airlines are for you, if not......