Unfortunately or fortunately - haven't figured it out. I'm a bean counter too.

I'm about 3 months from finishing up my CPA cert. Even doing it full time, its been one HELL of a workload. That test is a beast.

Accounting is a great backup career in its most common form. IOW, the demand is generally high and you can go from furloughed, unemployed, etc to making over 40k within a week. The hours tend to get pretty high, especially during tax season. However some firms allow you to work less hours during the off season under the logic that it evens out during the busy season. I have yet to find one myself that does this, but I've heard of them.

If you decide to stick with it as a primary career, it can pay nice dividends. As for me, I've spent a cumulative total of about 2.5 years sitting at a desk. I am just not meant to sit at a desk - I've figured that much out. However, if it is "MY" desk and not someone else's, I'm OK with that. If I later choose to not go back to the airlines, my plan is to open my own practice within a few years and run my own show as a tax guy/business consultant. A lot of guys call themselves "business consultants". Its a saturated field. But having the CPA lends A LOT of credibility to your name.

Being able to make my own choices rather than be the effect of crew scheduling has its advantages.

In summary, the doingness of the job is fairly boring and mundane. However, there is a scant chance that you'll go hungry or not have a reasonable level of discretionary income. The job is more secure than many. The CPA license is unique in that it is quite easy to branch off on your own. Capital startup costs are fairly low to start a business - just clear out a room in your house, buy some tax prep software (the most expensive outlay, likely), get some malpractice insurance, and buy a couple ads in the Yellow pages, make a webpage, etc and get to work.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do long term and it hasn't been easy. I've come to the conclusion that airline flying and accounting are almost perfect opposites to each other. Airline flying is fairly fun - that is the flying part itself. But when its over, you end up in a hotel by yourself, family at home, etc. Accounting is fairly boring and mundane, but when you are done, you end up at home with your family and your own house that you pay so much for.

When not actually working = you are on personal time. With the airlines, when not working, you are likely dealing with logistics of hotel vans, wondering if the hotel has a restaurant nearby, sweating about whether your commute flight home has seats on it, trying to eat away the long 18 hour overnights in Podunk, USA, etc.

I believe things happen for a reason. As for me, if I never go back to the airlines, having spent just under two years flying a jet for a regional will at a minimum give me a sense of personal pride and quiet my head down a bit when I remember that I've "been there, done that", as I am tolling away on tax returns.

Will that be enough? Time will tell.

Both doors are open - well, in general (no hiring in airline world right now).