Originally Posted by jedinein

There's a line in the first Matrix movie about how the "first matrix" was a happy place but the human brains couldn't stand it, thus whole crops were lost.

People that have time to spend on internet forums are generally not out there with a family spending time with that family.

They may be pilots stuck in shoddy hotels with somewhat working internet connections, 12 y/o's pretending to be somebody, or folks that hate the world and want to bring everyone down. They might even be folks that try to share their experiences, in the hopes that someone else will avoid the pitfalls along the path of life.

Some might not want a family with the 2.5 kids, the dog, and a white picket fence. Some might not want that until their own career is established. For some, it's the most important thing there is.

If you spend a bunch of time online, you'll generally see lots of complaining. It's easier to complain than to get up and do something about it. It's far easier to destroy than to build. Negative Nancy's probably outnumber Pollyannas 10 to 1 online. Flights are long, hopefully boring, and many times, it's the same person next to you, so you've already told all your stories, so you have to go online to let that stuff out, and what usually comes out is complaints.

It took 3 years of working in a cubicle before I decided to leave that very lucrative career and step into the aviation world full-time. Only one year did I match the income I had from that previous life, the rest of the time, money has been tight, but I still get my newfangled computer or gadget generally when I want, if not within a few months. We've got more opportunities and wealth now than my grandparents had during the Great Depression, money isn't that tight. With that, I'm one of the happiest people I know, with hundreds of pilot friends around the world who are also the happiest people I know. I have dozens of business-owner clients, also happy people, doing what they love to do, and, enjoying flying as a hobby. There are a few that see flying merely as a tool to allow them more time with their families, however, I see them flying on the weekends showing their kids and grandkids how to fly, much as other parents would be showing their kids how to sail, change the oil in a car, hunt, fish, or make a quilt. Of those clients that have a business, they enjoy the challenge of owning and running that business. The most successful ones are doing what they love.

Flying is not all puppies and warm fuzzies, and not good stuff does happen. That not good stuff, the roughage of life, will happen in aviation, owning a business, working for someone else, or even not working and being on welfare. I think the roughage is part of life to make us appreciate the good stuff more. I nearly quit one flying job over the frustration of trying to get a parking permit, this after six weeks of training and who knows how many thousands of dollars of opportunity cost. I stuck with it and got rewarded by being able to look DOWN on another of the company's aircraft from the front seat while in flight during a gorgeous sunset. Ya can't get that in flight sim.

If you're lucky, you find out what you love and do that when you're young. If you really love it, the roughage will be overcome by the love. If you don't, it's perfectly okay to move on to something else. You can do something else for awhile, decide you don't like it, and then decide to do something else. You're not married to a company, and no worries, no company is married to you. You'll have to decide if you want to put up with the cold and snow that is UND. Or find something more local as there are plenty of colleges with aviation programs including several in Florida. There's even online colleges that allow student loan funds to be spent on flight training.

Flying and a family can be compatible, same with those in the military on long deployments with families. It can be done. It requires, *GASP*, some hard work to make the relationship work, but it can be done. If I ever get around to wanting a husband, I'd want that husband to be a pilot as we share the same language. I don't want someone that is going to be complaining about my being gone pursuing what I love. I fully expect him to pursue what he loves and when we are together, we're sharing mutual passions. This means both of us are going to have to compromise, share, find compatibilities, and work together on a relationship. It's not going to be all puppies and warm fuzzies, but the warm fuzzies will greatly outnumber the roughage.

Bottom line: It's up to you to decide you are going to enjoy the present while preparing for a future that you will also enjoy. How you get there is your decision.