Everyone in the room is now dumber after reading this thread.

I can easily see that being the case when you got hired. Today, and the last year, not so much. It will probably get back to what it was like when you got on, but if you were on the scene now with the credentials you had then, you would have bragging rights - guaranteed. Congrats though! No doubt you are living the "dream" so many of us wanted, but for many of us that ship has sailed and it has nothing to do with credentials, but all to do with timing.

Nothing, it sucks. That's the problem with this career. It's great if you hit it at the right time, but if not it will just make one say "why didn't I become a........."

It's interesting that people think 12 years is fast. Back 20-30 years ago that would have been a really long time to the point where a pilot may have given up.

12 years from student pilot...is that before or after college? It's a really really long time to work as an intern and then start a real career at less than six figures.

It seems the problem is the airlines have figured out how to turn half of America's professional pilots into essentially interns with the hope of one day getting one of the ever dwindling number of reasonable paying jobs out there.

(edit....not talking about time in the military of course)

Disregard...........

No, they don't!

Why's he staying till 65? 3 ex-wifes, 7 kids, and how he's living in motel 6?

Know a buddy who was driving trucks late 03 with 0 flight time to Delta hire in late 07

12 years is actually reasonable if you get after it. But it still sucks for those who have been trying to get there longer but had bad breaks courtesy of the seniority system.

Periodically I hear the Affirmative action argument, and I am just curious! can you cite an example and with your citation was the candidate unqualified.