I agree with Redeye. Obtaining and keeping a high-paying airline job has always been a long shot. The difference today is that plenty of low-paying airline jobs have been added to the profession, leading to lots of disgruntled pilots instead of disappointed non-pilots. It seems worse now because those who missed the brass ring in the past would simply disappear into another career field and not post on pilot forums (except for Skyhigh, who has been a voice crying in the wilderness). The wheel of fortune will spin upward again, but no one knows when, how fast, or for how long. Those of us who have seen previous cycles may be especially bad forecasters, but after the fact we'll provide a very good analysis of what happened.