Originally Posted by
Twist & Shout
...I would suggest that SE positions would “top out” with regards to remuneration around what a Tradesman would earn.
I would suggest in the present climate SE positions wouldn't come close to what a tradesman would earn. I just paid a plumber $150 to show up at my front door which got me 15 minutes of his time. After that it was about $150/hr and I had to do all the digging. A roof tiler quoted me $2000 for one days work. The OP is a geologist with experience and I dare say his salary now is more than it would ever be as a SE Captain.
Your observations about the aspects of the different helicopter career paths I do agree on. About half of my working life was in far-flung places far away from home a month+ at a time. As a M/E IFR Offshore Captain my highest salary was probably less than what the young plumber was earning who crimped three leaking water pipes with a battery operated tool. And my kerosene operated tool was far more expensive and prone to calamities than his aforementioned tool.