FWIW- I only agree to an extent, and voice my opinion just to share the other side of the coin.
First-- my time at a regional carrier and then at a legacy carrier were both great-- but comparing it to my job now and my previous job is like comparing a ferrari to a honda.
I was on reserve for most of my career-- when I started at the regional, it was 18 months to upgrade, and 2.5 yrs to Delta--- and at 15 months into my time, 9/11 happened... we all know about that. So I took the first upgrade I could, and sat reserve for the majority of my time there (by choice, yes, but if I wanted out of there, I needed turbine PIC time, so not really).
So then I get hired at a major airline... wooo hoo.. I made it. The promise of upgrade was only a few years away. The starting pay was less than half of what I was making, but that's ok... I'll make it up quickly. Then furloughs, flowbacks, etc... now back as junior as you can be, except now you have a family to worry about... and when you get furloughed from a major, you are not eligible for any lateral transition... Job security with a major/legacy? I don't think so... wasn't US Air furloughed up to 10 or 12 years, something ridiculous like that? Ask the guy who was hired 12 years ago and now out on the street if he felt good about his job "security". Ask any Eastern pilot about their job security! I think the phrase "job security" is not in aviation anymore, no matter where you work!
I can tell you there are FANTASTIC corporate jobs out there. I got laid off in early 2009 from a great job where I averaged 15-18 days off per month, and made a great salary. Then spent a few months unemployed, and then got a job making more money, and averaging 20.5 days off per month (for 2010). The trips I do now are usually one leg somewhere, sit for a couple of days, and one leg home. So we get to enjoy our destinations for a bit. The downside is- yes, I am on call, but we know our schedule for each month- it may modify a bit here and there, but we can look at a calendar month and know what to expect. I don't mind cooking the books. I started my own management company, and now do this for multiple aircraft. I just don't mind it (I guess I am the "micromanager desk loser"
).
I guess the point I am trying to make is, there is no "right" answer or "better path". They both have risks, they both have reward. I miss flying a Boeing product!!
But I do not miss the schedule, the time away, the low pay (compared to now).
I do not think there is any "security" to anything nowadays... In fact, when someone young wants to get into aviation, I always tell them to make sure you love it and are passionate about it, because it is no fairy tale anymore.
