I've been reading this thread for the past few days and figure I'd throw my two cents in. Lets be honest having the chance to fly for an airline is one of the reasons we all go into this mess of a buisness. Call it naive, starry-eyed whatever. Granted most people aren't entirely aware of how challenging an airline lifestyle can be, but its still a case by case basis. There are plenty of factors to consider when going down the 121 regional path.
Pontius from reading some of your posts here and other threads I know you are speaking from your own experience about how the airline lifestyle have affected you. But the point still is that its not bad enough to make you leave. Is all you cracked it up to be when you interviewed and got hired, probably not.
WMU...I understand your plight as well. You sound like you've done your homework about this industry. You know its a biznatch but you want to give it a go anyways. Nothing wrong with that. I know a guy that left an Asst Chief job at a large flight school to go to ASA. He stayed with them for maybe a year and realized the lifestyle wasn't for him (mid 30's w/kids). Does he regret leaving for ASA only to leave ASA? Absolutely not. He said it was something he always wanted to do, he's done it, checked it off the bucket list, and has no regrets about it.
As for my personal experience having gotten a taste of the lifestyle, I can't wait to get back to it. Granted I was still on the honeymoon of finishing IOE and adapting to Reserve lifestyle before my furlough, so I know I'm not the know all about airline life, but it was a blast. Certainly way better than flight instructing which I have returned to. I am quite glad that I was lucky to find a good school to go to that is pursuing a 135 cert.
Enough of my ramblings now, if you were skimming my point is this: What works for one person might not work for another and no matter how much someone says it sucks, the only way to truly find out is to experience it for yourself.