Originally Posted by
hindsight2020
Circular reasoning anybody? I can make the same argument of those who prefer the overtly optimistic view of this profession, particularly when they sit in a favorable position career-wise. It's no different. Optimism for the sake of itself has no value, it's just an opiate. People who are not affected by a certain reality are less likely to dwell on it, and are more likely to dismiss those who are. It's human nature.
Circular indeed! The pot calls the kettle? Well, the rest of your flashy and periphrastic (yes, had to get a thesaurus for that one) post is nullified by the fact that I and many others (de727ups et al) have not always been in such a "
favorable position" career-wise
. I have lived through a couple of major downturns in which I was questioning my career path. My attitude (with a little luck) is exactly what brought me to my "favorable position career-wise". I
certainly would not have been here had I adopted your (or SkyHigh's)
attitude.
Originally Posted by
hindsight2020
I'm sick and tired of people quantifying people's vocational legitimacy for this profession based on how much you're willing to turn a blind eye to reality and "fly for the love of it". It's pure non-sense. Add to that the "attitude determines your altitude" crowd running in circles with the above statement.
Let's thank our lucky stars that majority in any challenging field doesn't have your "attitude". Or else, no one would be successful at careers they love.
Originally Posted by
hindsight2020
I have as much or more passion for flying and dedication to it as any proverbial senior CA.
With all due respect, apparently you don't. There's a passion for flying and there's passion for flying and doing it for a living. It's also interesting that you use the word
passion after you have devalued the role of
attitude.
There is nothing wrong with pointing out the cons with the pros. What is wrong are the summary judgments against an entire career path just because of what amounts to a few anecdotes of unfortunate turns. Yes, I know. Many pilots are "on the street" and it will probably get worse before it gets better and there by the grace of *God go I. However, that doesn't detract from my point.
I will give you that you're a much fancier writer than SkyHigh. However, putting fancy lipstick on a pig doesn't make it any more attractive.
To the OP. Once you have all of the facts in hand and you still want to pursue a career. Don't let anyone discourage you from doing so.
*for the record, I'm an agnostic.
