tilii,
I don't need to think about the investment a pilot makes in his/her own future. I have remortgaged my house and will spend 9 months of my life away from my family in order to chase my childhood dream. Including loss of earnings and fixed costs my total investment (including my PPL and the 300 hours I have) will be well in excess of 82,000. The emotional investment, I cannot put a value on. Please don't lecture me on what it costs to become a pilot.
In approxomately a years time I will be looking for my first job in aviation. If I have to sign a bond to the company that is going to give me my first break, well, so be it. I will accept it as long as I see it to be fair to both parties. If a company is willing to risk an investment in me I am willing to repay that with my loyalty.
What I was showing with my posts is that a form of bonding exists outside of the aviation world. It is difficult to draw an informed comparison as I don't really know what a 737 type rating costs.