Happy at Cathay??
ZS-LMI,
I started with the company recently, and in my opinion, PPRUNE is extremely heavily skewed towards the negative.
All of the senior Sim Instructors and Check and Trainers I've spoken to have generally said that although the pay and conditions have deteriorated since they joined (sometimes 20 years ago), they still believe CX is the best choice for new-joiners. It's a secure (relatively - compared with other airlines) job, with good progression (compared to other established widebody airlines) and good Pay and Conditions (especially for Hong Kong crew).
Like most things, you have to look at the balance which Cathay will provide your situation. Obviously, in the current environment, you can experience much faster progression and much higher pay with other emerging carriers on contract work (eg in India), but there are obviously job (and personal!) security payoffs. You can also live under crystal clear skies and have near zero stress flying a float plane out of the Maldives, but then the financial benefits aren't as good. It's all a tradeoff.
Some of the more negative and vocal posters on PPRUNE seem to be of the view that someone forced them to join Cathay. If you move to Hong Kong without being aware there's a pollution issue, you may want to re-evaluate the amount of research you are conducting prior to major life decisions!
Good luck with the upcoming decisions.
lmh