I also forgot to mention (and in part as a direct reply to 757) that like both Captain PPRune, and PPRuNe_Towers, I was not quite a whipper-snapper (at 38) when I got my airline break. But for once, just once, I was in the right place, at the right time, and with good fortune smiling down on me when I got it - and JohnM if you read this, well, you know !
Ps. I still can't quite wipe the smile off my face when I go to work - and it sure beats the 9-5 (or in the computer business that's 7 till 7, at least !) rat race !