Professionalism is an attitude, a way of life – not something you turn-on or off depending on the circumstances. Many pilots wrongly believe that if they got paid more money or if they got a ton of admiration from the flying public, then their attitude (professionalism) would change. However, it does not matter whether you fly (or wash) a C 172 or command a B747; your professionalism [or lack thereof] will be evident by how you view yourself, not how others view you.

As for the challenges imposed by this profession (late hours, early get-ups, long days, etc.), I would hope everybody did their homework and knew what they were getting into. Otherwise, there is nobody but yourself to blame for the disappointment. But understand that regardless of the challenges, they do not give any of us “Carte Blanche” to be unprofessional.