Simon10,
Your comments are all very well coming from somebody who aready works as a helicopter pilot - would you do anything else? Would you like me to retrain you to become a Chartered Accountant? No? Oh, I am surprised.
Possibly the reason that there a quite a few potential pilots coming from the IT industry is that IT pays quite well so these chaps can afford it and also flexible enough that they can always fall back on another skill if they don't have any flying work.
Sure, flying has its ups and downs and good days and bad days; I have had this conversation with quite a few commercial helicopter pilots. To quote my instructor
".... but it still does it for me"
Says it all really when I know of NO professional pilot who would give it up and start another career.
Cheers
Whirlygig