$22k first year at my company
$40k second year with the lines that I'm getting now

All not including per diem, just base pay.

Life is what you make of it; when my father was my age he was working on a farm picking cotton. Now he makes $150k writing contracts and drives a company Mercedes. Life is what you make of it, live below your means and you'll be ok.

And regarding the reserve times sitting at home, here we have what's called "long call" reserve which is a lineholder position. It affords approximately a 48 hour callout, which allows for somewhat of a normal life on your "on" days.