Hmmmmm. This sounds a bit "grass is always greener-ish" tbh. Having a "Tech world degree" from before I started flying and actually using it working for 2 different companies (one small, and one large) I certainly donīt regret moving over to aviation! Yes, the first 2-3-4 years were hard and sometimes even brutal but all in all I think it was well worth it!
I have many friends working in an office environment, including my better half, and boy would I hate the day to day "office politics" that people have to stand for. On top of that as a LHS pilot, I make way more than them even though they have more experience in their field than me. And they have had twice as much time in the educational system!...
Yes, I miss having more time for friends and family in the summer. Yes, I would love to be able to just point at a calendar and say "I want that week off". But are things really that much different in "the real world"? All I hear is the endless moaning about salary, free time in the evenings and pension. Just like we do it. I honestly think we have just simply moved into a world of more stress, higher expectations and more pressure to reach a better bottom line. In the tech world where i "come from" it is not uncommon to set goals of 20+ growth per year. This can only be achieved with pressure from above!
With that said. We still have much room for improvement. Join a union and participate actively. If there is one thing we pilots are world class at. It is moaning without doing a damn thing about it!
Just a few facts about me before I start taking flack:
-Working for a LCC
-Flying for 16 years (10 years commercially)
-Did not receive a penny from mom and dad.