I was fortunate Sept.1970 to enter the airline industry in Canada. Seems like a long time ago ( it was ). If you made the interview, training (DC8) was free and if you kept your nose clean for a year you were in. Initial pay wasn't great but quickly improved with years and seat changing.
Today not so much. Pay to fly ( you got to be joking ) cost of training and salaries unbelievable. Working conditions border on slavery and criminal.
Push button computer flying as appose to hands and feet connected to a brain is frightening. And yes I did fly some of the airbus magic carpets towards last of career. Yes I did have a fairly pleasant career. Today if my kid expressed an interest in aviation I would stick a pencil in his/her eye. They would eventually thank me.
Today climbing on an airplane as a pax gives me the willies. It would have to be life or death or an extremely good looking female to make me consider becoming a pax. Really a sad reflection.
Rant over, don't feel a whole lot better. Easy chair much more pleasant the 1A pointy end. Keep them in the air however as a pension check firmly attached to the industry.
Good for you. Enjoy retirement.