1. I can apply for food stamps.
2. I can actually apply for free food I learned a few days ago.

I don't shout my issues to complain or have a pitty party. I want people to know what it is REALLY like.

less than $1200 profit per month
little less than $1000 minimum payment on education loans (interest+principal)

24 single, no kids

I am supposed to magically (no it is not lucky charms - magically delicious) get hired by a regional (if most of them last another 2 years) then a major (bc i had an internship with one from TX) then what....be at home half the time after I meet a woman on the road (hotel front-desk girl or if i started drinking...bar-tender?)

Someone who has made it...tell me it is worth it (i aint talkin abt the supposed-stupid 100K pay)? Are there any dads that are fathers?

I would say all of them. :D

If you are trying to make some correlation between traveling and how good a parent a person can be then you'll be struggling.
There are plenty of wonderful PARENTS who travel and plenty of terrible ones who stay at home.

USMCFLYR

The number of pilots that the majors will hire in the next 10-20 years is staggering. Someone hired at, say Delta, in 3 years will have a very different career that what I have had. Im at 12 years and have worked most weekends and holidays over the last 5 years. I also came back from a 5 year furlough to a company that had a bankrupt pilot contract. Things are slowly getting better at both Delta and the rest of the industry.

By comparison, it's taken me 12 years to get 11% from the bottom of the seniority list. A new hire in a few years will likely be 11% from the bottom within 4! New hires would also come to a company that has a significantly better contract than what we had a few years ago.

The new hires at major airlines in the next few years will more than likely have Great careers in front of them due to all of the retirements. I thought I was going to have a great career and it just never happened. Doesn't mean I won't have a better career down the road, the first 12 years has just been a nightmare.

Bottom line, do you enjoy the job? It's possible you could be a very young captain at a major airline and have many years of high earnings in front of you. Is it worth it? Only you can answer that one. Ask yourself, if there anything else that you want to do that can potentially pay you as much as you could make as a pilot.

Good luck to us all.

Very sobering words to someone who is months away from possibly starting flight training. Sure is a lot to take in and i'm glad I didn't jump into it blind 5 years ago like I had intended. Thank you for your advice

i take home 1200 a month from republic, no idea how you make that much as a fo much less a first year

There is a small window in which to get hired at a mainline and have a good career. If you get hired in say 5 years you're going to be stuck behind guys most likely younger than you for the entire duration. Yes, there will be retirements and some people will get hired but not all will have good careers.

Like some people said you truly have to love flying because there are much better careers out there.

You can disagree all you want... but the fact is per diem is not included in remuneration.

Ramper tells me he'll only let me out the jetway door if I give him 5 bucks. I hate that stupid joke, and I tell him "sorry I'm broke" and push through. He yells down the stairs at me: "Don't lie to me, I know what you make!" I look back and say "are you sure you do? See these three bars, I'm only a first officer" He says, "well it's gotta be near 6 figures." I say: "Try 35K dude" He just stares. I proceed and do my walk around. He catches up to me on the other side of the plane and asks me: "are you being serious about that?" I tell him: Yes, after 10 years at this place that is what I make! He sheepishly says: "Wow, I make 50"

PATHETIC.

full disclosure: I'm quoting reserve guarantee, which I bid on purpose. If I flew 85 hour lines, I might come close to 39K

good post sir