Originally Posted by
tallpilot
All that stuff is nice, total earnings and retirement account balances matter at the end of the career. On an annual basis though it's just the cash compensation that matters because that's how you pay your bills. That number for 3rd year FO is about $225k without consistent premium trips every month. Decent living but pretty far from rock star level and I think we earn every penny of it. The days are mostly long, the sleep schedule is rarely consistent and short when it is.
Shortest overnight this month is 16 hours, FOs that got it awarded were 14000 numbers, super ez commutable trips, and the only thing that doesn't hit the bank account is company 401k contributions under the limit. Everything else pays out.
I got hired here in my 30s and made 35k first year. Now, it's hired in your mid-late 20's making 1/4 mil or upgrade in your early 30s. I feel like people's expectations have been skewed of what is/isn't normal for this career.
I'm not trying to downplay others experiences but the complaining that goes on is just sad to see.