I love aviation and being a pilot. I am still a pilot even though I am no longer driving a crj around the country. I will always be a pilot, even though my monkey suit and stripes are now in the closet and will remain there. It'll make a nice gift for my son someday. For me, there were many reasons to stay in and many reasons to get out of being an airline pilot. In the end, it wasn't the $, I knew what I'd be earning before I got in. I knew about the lifestyle and time away from home, too. I think we all do. One thing that I hate, though, is how aviation doesn't reward hard work/being a good person/all that jazz. Yes I knew about that, too, but in just about any other profession, if you work harder and do more than the next guy, you'll surpass him in status, earnings, benefits, everything. Not so in flying. Now my hard work is rewarded with income, real dollars that I can spend buzzing around in a rented 172 or in a 737 sim if I need to crank up a turbine! Everyone is different. I have respect for all pilots--I'm still one myself.