Put me off, please.

[DB777]

The tales woe that linger in most posts on this Forum seem to attract a wide range of responses from established airline pilots on here, they clearly find it bizarre that so many wannabe's come close to destroying themselves in a bid to fulfill their ambition? I can only assume that once defined in their career, with a hefty amount of hours/experience and with some well-earned seniority in their airlines, they must view some of us as slightly misguided and perhaps guilty of wearing them oversized rose-tinted specs?

Even though i'd probably be regarded as being in the early, hopeless stages of my flying training, i'm fairly long in the tooth in my current 'non-av' career and see my industry's 'wannabes' jumping over themselves for roles that they'll inevitably find limited and generally unrewarding. In the spirit of stamping their feet in the door and starting the climb up their respective ladders, they continue to bowl-in and if like me – a little older with a few more responsibilities – they willingly compromise their integrity, financial security and gawd knows what else to achieve that first step – blindly, it seems.

I can see that clearly in my game, but i'm in danger of being that person in my quest to become a jet driver.

So, I'm appealing to all them established airline pilots on here.
I need some discouragement to help me extinguish the fire which is relentlessly motivating me into either debt, divorce or an early grave.

I feel reasonably well informed as to the hiring situation, the current and future demand for pilots, the level of T&Cs and the tricks played by the FTOs etc. I've spent more than enough time on this site trawling through the darkest and most unambiguous threads which quickly turn on the poster and question their upbringing, funding method and grammar too it seems.
What I want to read are the everyday realities. The waking up and thinking "I can't spend another hour on that flightdeck..." or "If I did this job for another month it'll drive me insane" realities. So many on here skim across it whilst trying to educate us mere wannabes but it's by painting a true picture of this that I can destroy the dream sequence that I constantly play in my mind time and time again.

For me, exposure to airline pilots (or any professional) who speaks truthfully and candidly about their role is rare. By nature there is pride that doesn't allow what i'm sure can sometimes be a negative image to be painted, especially with the current state of affairs and quite selfishly I need a dosage of what real-life is like as a pilot. I need to make a calculated decision – once and for all – whether or not to continue down this path which could very well end in misery. A decision based not solely on finances, time and logistics but on lifestyle, family life, health (physical and mental), achievement and all those often disregarded factors.
It seems contradictory that in the new-age of flight training, a role which demands clarity on decision making under pressure can welcome individuals who could sometimes carry an immense and 'debilitating' debt and still be ushered in because of their commercial viability. Debt is part of the quest undoubtedly, a more accurate picture of the landscape i'll be carrying that burden through will help determine if I can bare it in the long run.

Consider it a public cleansing with the added benefit of potentially preventing this sole wannabe from joining the already long line.