Why Is PPRuNe SO Negative - Suicide Site!
There's a very simple answer to that. The wannabes forums exist for people who don't yet have jobs. Everyone from school kids to thirty and forty -somethings planning a career change. From PPL & commercial students to unemployed fATPLs. As soon as they find a job, the vast majority of pilots never set foot in here again.
It's understandable - working pilots are usually out flying aeroplanes - not at home all day in front of their computer or working in an office with internet access. When I do get time to myself, I'm generally catching up with a week's post, or trying to make sense of my roster, or preparing for an LPC, or doing the housework, washing the car, etc etc. And I fly half the hours of some of my colleagues.
And when I do venture into the wannabes forums, it can get a bit boring - the endless repetition of the same questions (am I too old, is integrated better, can I get into BA with a C in maths etc) because people can't be bothered to read the 'stickies'. There's a tendency towards juvenile and naive debate, which probably just reflects the average wannabe's age, but is off-putting nonetheless. (Although, in fairness, discussions between so-called 'professional' pilots are often little better). There's also the confidence - some would say arrogance - that can only come from those who have never flown an airliner, telling others how best to get an airline job (witness all the teenagers giving other teenagers career advice). Some contributors to this thread have already demonstrated those qualities.
Apart from the occasional post when someone finds a job, you don't hear about all the success stories (and there are many). Of the ten or so low-hours pilots on my type-rating course, I am the only one who regularly posts on Pprune - the rest of them have got better things to do with their time. How many Ppruners can you name who are working pilots
and regularly contribute to these forums? Not many.
WWW moderates with frankly amazing reserves of patience, and often gets flayed for his efforts.
So there you go. Firstly it's a fact of life that once people stop being wannabes, they lose interest in wannabes' issues. And secondly you're often your own worst enemy. I hang around here because I spent many, many years as a wannabe, and I remember what it was like. It was the posts from working professional pilots that helped keep me focused, and those rare inspirational posts that motivated me through some of the darker times.
So wade through the BS, recognise the chaff for what it is, use the 'ignore' function, and you'll find plenty of useful information on here. It's a whole lot better than getting your 'advice' from flying schools.