No one really does. A new hire saying "I'm here for the w/b's doesn't really know what it's about. He just imagines he knows what it's about. Until you do it you don't know. The sleep cycle is no joke. Until you've done it you don't know if you can hack it.

I was telling my best friend for about a decade "you need to bid w/b's and check it out." His reply, 100% valid...at the time was "I'm like the flying I'm doing. I like my seniority, I don't have to do w/b flying." All valid....and then he bid w/b flying. "So what do you think?" "If I'd know it was this good I would have bid it sooner." He's AT the airline, his buddies ARE flying the trips, and he didn't/couldn't understand what it was like.

FO hated w/b flying. No interest. Went back to domestic. Upgraded to Captain. No interest in w/b flying. Now he's after his 787 Captain bid. From "I didn't like it" to "he's back...." Here's the deal, it's only a 2 yr bid. After 2 years bid off if it's not your gig. Plenty of guys never do - "This ruined me. I'd flown w/b's in the military but this is much better. I'm a crack addict*. I'm here until I upgrade to 777/787 Captain. He's seen n/b domestic Captain up close and personal as an FO. N/b CA or G4 FO? His "I'm here for 6-9 months and then going to upgrade" went out the door after he realized how much the w/b flying was truly "a different airline."

* Joke - what's the difference between a large w/b FO (G4 FO at AA) and a crack addict? You might get the addict off of crack....but you aren't getting the G4 FO out of his seat."

If you leave JB try w/b FO for 2 years. If you like it stay. If you don't leave. A LOT stay. "It's a different airline."