In my 28 years of flying I have:
Travelled to just about every corner of the world
Flown combat lit by enemy radar
Commanded an air force flying squadron
Lived on peanuts and spaghetti waiting for the airlines to hire me
Flown overnight freight days on end, fatigued as a zombie
Had an engine explode at max gross weight at 800 feet
Had friends die
Lost captain seat in company downsizing
Got hired into dream job with a major in my 40's
Got furloughed to the street after 9/11
Loved every minute of it
Would I trade my experience with flying for anything else?
Absolutely not.
Would I, as a young man today, given current prospects go into professional aviation?
Absolutely not.
An interesting feature of the pilot profession is how some guys go straight through to the wide-body left seat with no turmoil while others have a career with nothing but setbacks and uncertainty. All this having nothing to do with talent.