I don't 'do students' so I won't comment on that track of GA; but.....
Out of bed at 0500, 3 x S (ask someone what the 'S's are), cycle 5 km to airport, preflight (30 yr old) aeroplane, note zero PUS's or placarded instruments (yes there are some owners who will spend the required $$ on maintenance), sip thermos coffee while brushing frost off windscreen and watch the pink-sunrise-hued jets tracking overhead at FL30+, leaving contrails from horizon to horizon while it's still dark and -5 degrees on the ground.
Load up on-time pax and within-weight baggage, take-off into the unbelieveably cerise blue sky, climbing at 1500f/m, no turbulence. Level out at ToC, watch GPS pick up extra 30kt GS from favourable wind, look at clocks and dials all perfectly behaved and listen to smooth synchronised drone of nice, new engines.
Look down at the world just stirring, check out the spectacular sunrise. At destination, unload and relax in aircon pilot lounge, catch a nice meal at the local eatery, before loading return crew and watching all the colours again in reverse as the sun slips below the horizon behind you & you jag another favourable wind home.
Day off, followed by on-call and a night job, taking off at MTOW and at max IFR range for reserves / alts due the p!ssing down rain and 40kt headwinds, followed by a 3 hour churn through the muck and dark and descent to a remote airstrip with a poxy NDB and one GPS NPA approach direction, just getting the lights at the NPA mins and having to do the VCA to land into the howling, blustery wind that is just far enough off beam to make it a poxy x-wind as well. Sitting in the aircraft chewing on a stale peanut paste sanger and a bottle of water, waiting for a couple of hours for the pax to show cause they decided to have dinner before they left. Taking off again into the even worse slag, bucking and thumping through the crud for a couple more hours while the pax taketurns chundering and swearing about how 'the last guy gave them a much smoother ride and why cant you do the same', sweat-slicked control yoke squirming in your grasp as you pray you'll catch the lights off the DGA because the alternate has just been SPECI-ed out of the equation and finally get the thing back on the deck, followed by cleaning out the spew bags and coke cans, refuelling for the next guys early morning departure and riding home in the freezing rain in time to get the kids out of bed.
It has its ups and downs, but I wouldn't be anywhere else.
