Not Easy To Quit
It is not so easy to quit flying after a career is underway. It is difficult to walk away after so much is invested. Also it is difficult to transition to another profession with the skills accumulated as a pilot. Usually it means totally starting over and that becomes much more difficult as people get older and have obligations.
It seems to me that one of the problems is that people get into this profession when they are young, idealistic and unattached. They are not able to fully comprehend what the needs of their future will be. Once the career is underway we sell ourselves on the idea that tomorrow will be better than today and after facing disappointment with every rung on the ladder have to resell ourselves that the next one will be better.
As pilots get older they begin to take a personal measure of what has been lost to date. As the deficit grows the size of the imagined prize then also must grow. As a 20 year old just flying a plane seems good enough however by their 30's the imagined future paycheck is the driving force. Eventually the career debt grows to an impossible degree.
As with gambling whenever hardship in an aviation career comes the temptation is to put in for another round. The thinking is that eventually you will hold a winning hand. However as a pilot goes deeper into life debt more must be put up in order to remain in the game. If you are a parent things like little league games are important. However as with annal fishing trips with old friends, a sense of home and seasonal holidays they are all things to be traded away to the needs of maintaining a flying career.
We all have to make choices. Not every pilot will be filled with regret upon reflecting back upon a life of hotel rooms and early get ups, however many will. This thread is an important cautionary tale to be considered at least. What do you value in life?
Skyhigh