Not an airline pilot but flying for a (bad) living for some time now. I vary between actively hating it and being ambivalent about it. Which is ironic considering how much time and effort I spent on achieving my 'dream'. Realise now that it was all bit of a mistake and in truth I would have been better off if I'd failed the medical for some reason or other thus bursting my bubble a lot earlier.
But make no mistake flying is not quite like any other job, sure there are comparable jobs. Comparisions with any form of desk job simply doesn't cut it. There are moments where you suddenly realise how lucky you are often when you find yourself looking out the window at something no one on the ground could ever even imagine. But it's not enough and the negatives eventually outweigh the positives. I'm trying to step back now a bit in part to try and enjoy it again and in part because my life outside aviation is now more important to me now.
But it's hard and what happens is that your experience is now considered valuable and you get offered jobs you could only dream of when you were younger. But you hesitate although you must take it because you have no fall back option.
I recently got back in touch with an old pilot friend. We reminisced happily about our formation days and escapades in flying. But we both feel the need to ease out of the job. Disappointed in ourselves we are.
Re read Atr42, wiggy and cruise zombie. They have pretty much nailed it along with others.