The Great pyramid of the Necropolis.
I have said it many times before, but I will say it again. The industry is a pyramid. It is a very tall pyramid, and the airline pilot jobs represent the apex. Beneath the apex there are a lot of bodies. Working your way up from the base is usually an arduous, time consuming and very expensive process. It requires a high degree of stamina as well as very well honed mental and financial fitness. Add to this a comprehensive set of site plans, optional routes and luck, and you may well stand a chance of navigating the route through the maze of severely obstructed passageways that lead to the top.
It is very crowded in that pyramid. There a lot of merchants selling their wares to the prospective and ever hopefull climbers. Many people join the ranks of these merchants as they attempt to consolidate their own position on their own personal quest. Despite the inherent optimism that most of the climbers start out with, they soon discover that the lower two thirds of the pyramid is in fact a necropolis that is very expensive to navigate, has many expensive toll gates, and takes no prisoners with those who have come poorly equipped. As unfortunate as that is, it is still a necessary consumption resource for the other merchants and travellers in the pyramid.
For those, lucky and or wealthy enough, there are special routes on the outside of the pyramid, that provide a much quicker and less encumbered climb towards the apex of the pyramid. When the apex is full, all progress through the pyramid comes to a complete halt, however the merchants still sell to the crowds of trapped travellers, provided those travellers have the means to pay. Failure to pay (as many are forced to) results in the necropolis claiming another victim.
The truth is, that very very few people see anything other than the apex of the pyramid. Much of what is visible, are the people on the outside rapidly ascending the steep sides of the outer pyramid in shiny glass elevators. What is inside is hidden, and is a journey that relatively few will successfully navigate all the way to the top. Those who sound caution are often derided as "naysayers," but the wise travellers would do well to listen.
There is nothing wrong with buying a dream. If you are an adult, can make a sensible appraisal of risk, and you can afford it, then buy whatever you want. There are industries devoted to the sale of dreams, selling shiny red sports cars, luxury cruises around the world in oppulent splendour, and even flights to the very edges of space. They are all expensive.
With all of the above luxury purchases, few people would risk their financial futures unless they were already properly funded. Most would also realize that their purchase would be worth little, less, or nothing once it had been consumed or used. However show them a picture of a 25 year old in a starched white shirt with gold eppaulettes and dark sunshades, leaning out of a cockpit window and pointing to an azure cloudless sky, and the same common sense and realization also flies out of that window.
So, you pay your money and take your choice. A lot of people need your patronage to survive and make their own living, or take themselves one floor higher. It is a difficult journey. The attrition rate is very high. Few will succeed in reaching the apex. No one cares about your dreams or motivation, and as an adult, you will be responsible for your own choices, actions and result.
Entry tickets can be purchased next to the gold plated ATM machine.
Welcome to the Great pyramid of the Necropolis!