Whirlygig be fair,
It may not be the same as it used to be (so I hear) but there is still a huge amount of prestige and glamour in the job, especially from the perspective of the salary payers.
I personally am an inexperienced FO for a small jet operator, however the response you get from people you've just met when they ask your occupation is incredible, the way people look and treat you when you walk through an airport to staff security is fantastic.
Lawyers certainly do not get that response, or even for that matter doctor's, regardless of the amount of training they require for their occupation.
You are talking from the perspective of a pilot, but how can you compare it to the training of other occupations, have you been through it?
I have a degree (1:1) in business and marketing and used to be a financial advisor, and believe me flight training was far more stressful, required far more study and was by far more intense. Most people who have completed both a degree outside aviation and have completed flight training would agree, very little comparison.