I typically dismiss what SH has to say, but I am in agreement on this point. I think the effect on GA isn't as notable as the effect on the airline industry. But, the airline industry will be just fine as there is something about it that attracts a continual surplus of applicants willing to bend over *edited for appropriateness* to fly an airplane.
I have decided to pull from my endeavors as an airline pilot for a while - not necessarily forever - to go back to school to finish my CPA. I have already been accepted back to school, paperwork is either finished or in progress, and life just feels a whole lot better, and I am looking forward to being home for the upcoming holidays.
My respect for this profession has fallen dramatically - not my respect for the pilots. The most significant concern I have, among many others, is the rat race that exists right now (and most of the time) and the ramifications this brings. The wages we accept, the QOL we accept, and the lack of any probable career advancement just scares me off. Pilots are not treated like professionals, especially at my company. Of course, there is the flip side of the coin - many pilots don't ACT like professionals - porn in the cockpit is an example.
Living life under the seniority system, IMHO, has more disadvantages than advantages. As a pilot, there is no way to excel above your co-workers. You'll NEVER be known as "the" guy that can get it done - we'll always be seat meat, instantly interchangeable for the other guy. Upgrade and increasing QOL is based entirely on how quickly the line moves and has nothing to do with how hard you work or what value you bring to the company. How can you control your own destiny when the factors affecting your life (and your family's life) are inevitably beyond your control? And as the conga-line moves, the company's grip on you becomes tighter. I know a plethora of folks that loathe this industry and company, get treated like dirt, and yet are stuck due to the seniority status gained over their tenure. Starting over at the bottom would be horrible when you've got family relying on you. A pilot with 25 years of left seat experience is all of sudden junior to the 300 hr FO should he decide to change companies - its just SICK!. I am drawing a blank in trying to think of another profession where you cannot bring your unique resume with you and have it instantly pay appropriate dividends. When I was in accounting, we'd occasionally get a new CPA into the office, and he/she would instantly get their own office, pay and respect according to the value he/she was bringing into the firm. Pilots - not so much.
I am tired of the cattle call. "Cattle call", its the best way I can describe this profession.
Again, I am speaking of the structure of the profession, not in anyway speaking against fellow pilots. I will always be a pilot first, just don't need to make a living doing it. I'd rather be in control of my own life.