Let me sum it all up for you....

Some people get in the right airline at a young age and make it up the list fast enough before the airline stops hiring or begins the furlough.

Others aren't as lucky. How about those junior American pilots who got furloughed after 9/11, and recalled after 5 or 6 years only to be recalled, retrainined, and now looking at furloughs again after a month back on the line.

It's all about luck. Get in the right place at the right time, and you are golden. How will you know its the right place? You'll have to let us know in 15+ years.