A good post EvelcyclopS. It's amazing, the people that say they have decided to leave commercial flying alone are without question the most reasoned, factual, sensible people I have heard within the industry and probably the ones who SHOULD go for it. They ignore their emotions and look at the facts - a quality that would see you good in non-normal flight. For what it is worth I do think you have made the right choice - you shouldn't mix business and pleasure and that is what has happened to this industry and I can assure you, ruined it beyond repair.
I maintain that you'd be crazy......no I'll be nice, you'd be brave to go near CTC within the next 9-10 months, these will be their most telling (and NOT because I have anything against them) - and rest assured 9 -10 months (especially now) will not make you miss the boat. It says alot about people how they are when they are winning and they are losing - look how all the FTOs have been in these terrible times i.e. one of the toughest times to place a pilot in the history of aviation (relatively speaking and for all the wrong reasons) and with people becoming ever more uncurrent and ever more disheartened. If they wanted this to be, it should be an opportunity for them and any other FTO to be the ONLY choice - sacrifice a relatively small amount of income now for a large amount in the future. There should be people coming on here and fighting for their FTOs, saying how loyal and supportive they have been. Instead it is nothing but bent truths, 'selling' and manipulation. And that is across all integrated FTOs.
Luck IS timing, get it right and you'll be very happy with life, get it wrong and you'll be one of those 'life is unfair' types - and no not like me! Don't rush into things, be lucky.