I don't think somebody was out to "get me". I really liked working for SkyWest, and I think I did my job well.

But, I will say that I felt pretty d*mn stupid for some of my cheer leading for this company. I honestly thought that I would be trained to succeed; taken care of, like you would a family member. Would you kick out your son out of your life if he failed a class in school, and banish him from ever coming back? Of course not, but at SkW, it truly is a business... a really BIG business.

I felt stupid for the times I volunteered (at the last minute, as line holder) to get the company out of a bind and fly trips on my days off (when they ran out of reserves last summer, I actually commuted from SoCal to SLC to do the Helena overnight).

I felt REALLY stupid when I got the bill for my hotel in SLC on the day I got canned. The company really should pay for that, even for SLC based folks. By the way, the total was $1500.

I felt stupid that I got no per diem while at training, while everybody else raked it in, because I was SLC based and training in SLC.

I felt stupid that I put myself in a situation where this absolute no account airplane was able to tube me so severely. By "no account", I mean that I will never have to check out in this plane in the future, unlike a Boeing or Airbus or Bombardier, or perhaps E-jet. There was very little to be gained (captain/PIC time) with EVERYTHING to lose.

I felt stupid that I didn't get my ATP, and that my 24 months on the written will time out shortly. Not to mention that whoever I eventually will do an ATP with, I'll get to explain to them how I busted that ride last time.

I felt stupid that I handed out buddy passes to my brother and and a friend, and literally got a call a few days after I got canned saying, "hey, it's 6am here (which means it was 5am at my house) and they're saying this ticket is no good". Nice to explain that.

I feel stupid every time I get to crawl on a SkyWest flight to travel... of course, I now have to pay for the privilege.

I feel stupid that I can't jumpseat, even if I do work for a foreign airline.

I feel stupid that I couldn't get an interview at the lowest respect airlines this country has.

I feel stupid, and guilty, that for me to continue in this business means that my 6 and 8 year old kids will not see me much.