XJPILOT is correct, the airlines are a lot of fun. There's good days and not-so-good days, but if you like airplanes, like people, and like to BS you should enjoy it.

The biggest downside is the away-from-home time. Personally that doesn't phase me, cuz a four day trip is a lot shorter than most of military travel stints. After 4 days, I'm just starting to realize that I'm gone, and it's already time to go home again...sweet!

But seriously, the being gone is a REAL hardship for many folks, esp. with little kids or spouses that may not fully understand. The good news is that at most airlines you can minimize your away time once you get some seniority, especially if you live in domicile. Days trips, stand-ups, etc.

While we may not get as many days off as we used to, the ability to SCHEDULE your days off in a flexible manner is priceless...and PBS does do this really well, unless you are in the botton 3%. If you've never worked in corporate america or the military, you may not understand that all those 6-figure jobs come with a price: They OWN your @ss, M-F, and usually Saturday too. You may get Sunday off, but if travel is on your agenda, expect to fly out Sunday for a Monday meeting. You can call in sick if nothing's going on, but if there's a critical event...you WILL be there, unless you're in a coma. If you're willing to settle for 50K, you can probably do the M-F, 8-5 thing. The only thing I really miss about it all was being able to take a 2+ hour lunch and go work out. Now I only get to do that if I have a long sit in LAS (24-hour fitness in the basement)

 

Thanks everyone for the information. I had a general idea of what life would be like but all the specifics were what I didn't know. My girlfriend of 3+ years was just asking about it and I didn't have any solid details to tell her.

I have worked a bit at a jet charter back in Chicago. Working there has really helped me see a glimpse as well. They have about 10 jets, ranging from a Citation 2 to a pair of G-IVs. I know of one pilot who worked there for a while but then went to fly for Air Wisconsin just so he could have a schedule. All the other pilots there tell me that its better to work at a company like that but I really think I would like having an eventual schedule rather than possibly being called for a flight and needing to be at the airport in less than 2 hours. It would be like being on reserve the rest of my career and I think it will be bad enough being on reserve for the first few months with an airline.