My Girkfriend is a lawyer and she has just been offered partnership in a large corporate firm, However do to so, she has to buy herself in at a cost of £35,000!
Now if she doesn't she wont get made a partner and she wont get the big money that goes with partnership.
So it seems that pilots aren't the only ones that need to pay for their future.. Personally I don't think it's any different than any other industry..