Granted there are many things that someone does not realize about this job until they have it (reduced rest fatigue, mgmt crap etc...) However there is no secret that being an airline pilot means many nights away from home and working holidays, it is the job and anyone with half a brain understands this when they pursue this career.
And yes there are times you fly the 50 people for $50, and those days suck. I laugh sometimes that I could make more at a lemonade stand somedays. But there are also those days when we pick up an easy trip with the double draft pay from crew scheduling and laugh how we made $300 for a few hours of work. My point is this job has its ups and down but many on here complain about the bad and only the bad
People complain, and those who always complain become tiresome to others.
All in all I enjoy my job. Maybe it is because I worked in other fields before this and would not want to go back, even if it meant a few more bucks. For someone who wants to pursue this as a career take all the information and make your own judgement and dont get to bogged down by those who always stomp their feet and complain. If it is so bad for them, why dont they just give it up?