I heard a different drum...
 

This whole section is very interesting, and as a former airline guy, I thought I'd share my experience:

I was a logistics officer in the USAF who always wanted to fly, but couldn't get in to flight school during the early 1990's drawdown. I did six years of service, got out as a captain, and earned my civilian ratings. A pretty good regional F/O job soon followed, flying good equipment, on fun routes, with great QOL. Everything was looking up.

Trouble was, I missed the hell out of the military. It was the camraderie, the sense of mission, the overseas assignments, etc. that I missed so much. Life as an anonymous civilian airline guy was routine, boring, and isolating for me. I never fully adjusted and I really just wanted to go back to being in the Air Force, even as a ground-pounder. Eventually I took a job with a federal agency that has lots of the things I was looking for, and I went with it. I've been out of the flying business for over 14 years now, and I miss the flying part, but I could never quite adjust to the lifestyle. It just did not fit. Of course I got all the quizzical looks and the "are you crazy?" reactions when I announced my departure from flying, but it was something I had to do. I did not hate flying, nor did I hate the industry. It actually worked out well for me, but it simply wasn't the right path. No harm, no foul.

All these choices in life are very personal, and no one size or story fits everyone's circumstances, but that's what I went through.

Has anyone else had a similar path unfold?

As far as not following the herd into the airline world....yes.
You are right about the different paths possible - but one thing that MANY people forget is that the AIRLINE business is ONE PART of the AVIATION industry.

It sounds like you never tried general aviation either - aircraft renting, share, or ownership?

Can you say where you found the "...the camraderie, the sense of mission, the overseas assignments, etc. that [you] missed so much."?

Thanks for sharing your story.

I went into the Foreign Service. Many former military here, and surprisingly, some former pilots as well. GA is great and I would get into it if I had the funds. Nonetheless I am only a few years from retirement and will be going back to aviation in some capacity when I finish this career. It's going to be interesting to see how well I pick up on flying again after 20 years out of the cockpit!

Rotator,

Just curious, what do you have in mind?

Probably flight instruction. With my retirement income, securing a high-paying job is not a necessity, so I can get my flying fix without having to worry about earnings. I suppose it really depends on what's available where I retire (thinking of the Denver, CO area), and finding a niche there.

Glad to hear things turned out well!

My story is similar to many others - went to college for aviation, instructed, was hired at a regional. I was lucky enough to upgrade at that regional, but then suffered a downgrade about a year later. Following the downgrade I started searching for ways to earn back my income, interviewed for a couple non-flying jobs, and managed to score one of them. This lead to my current career in federal service.

I miss the flying, miss the crews, and the fun. The only ways better to spend your 20's is as a military flyer, or race car driver (i'm certain). Overall the lifestyle is good, and it really works well for myself and my family. We're living in our hometown, grandparents to help with the kids, I have limited travel if any, and am in my own bed everynight with a great retirement (far in the future) and excellent QOL. I should be able to support my family in a manner that I see fit, private schools and good college savings. Everyone sacrifices some - gave up a great view...but have learned that I have a valuable place in aviation, even if it's not in a cockpit. Overall, no complaints.