Chesty
I too take your point. However the fact remains that, having taken the route I have taken, I do not qualify for the job in your example. Had I taken the career path my former training colleagues took which I outlined earlier, I would qualify by now. Notwithstanding, if I had, and I did, I probably wouldn't apply, I'd probably stay put flying new 737s at Ryanair. Additionally I would have had a higher salary for a greater number of years. That would seem to me to indicate what would have been a sound financial investment, had I not made the wrong decision all those years ago.
I'm not moaning, I have enjoyed all the flying I have done, flown with some highly skilled captains in challenging conditions and learned a great deal. I don't know if I would have learned these raw flying skills in pay to fly land, so the investment analysis is not as simple as I make it. However it remains true to say that I am not very saleable now, whereas with some 3000 jet hours I would be moreso.