NAMD has sumarised it all rather well.
He has sumarised all of the things that make being a LAME these days suck.
I can also back the truth that the average age of LAME's is quite high - in my trade, and looking company wide I can see a large number of people who will be retiring within the next few years.
I am in my early thirties and I too have recently made the decision to leave the industry mostly due to the ever worstening conditions coupled with increasing responsibility/stress.
I am sick of being treated as a liability that is only a hinderance to operating a schedule for an employer who would subcontract my services to the lowest bidder if only they didn't require my kind to keep their precious AOC. I would love to tell these instant aviation experts that I didnt cause the breakdown and that my harts desire is to fix it as best and safely as I can.
All the powers that be are degrading engineering as a career and CASA stands at the head of the list as it's actions are driven by the airlines, and the outcome is reduced air safety.
Sure things are looking up as far as demand for LAME's goes, but the truth is that when demand is there the airlines just bring em in from other countries using the excuse that the Austalian licensing system for LAME's is too complex therefore we should make it easier so that a broader range of ppl can get in, thus reducing demand, wages and safety having once again lowered the bar.
Make the jobs worth having and the people who are up to the jobs will come.
I will regret leaving aeroplanes as I like em, but for the first time in a long time I know I have made a good decision and a step in the right direction by leaving them behind.