BA hire guys with 0 hours or God captain on 777 with 15000 hours in the last 3 months.
God Captain, in this case, would be in the RHS at the bottom of the seniority roster with all the other new joiners.
There isn't a single pilot on earth who does it for the money. I think that if one looks at the lucrative side of it he will always be unsatisfied with the job (if he gets one) but if one loves flying and airplanes he will likely get a job in the industry and always be glad of what he does.
I'm with Wiggy on this one. 30 years in and I'm flying big aeroplanes around the globe for financial gain and financial gain only. I get a buzz out of a good landing in rubbish weather along with everybody, I like to demonstrate my skill. Same as flying in the worst weather mother nature could throw at me in my previous flying career before the Airlines, different scenario but the skill set remains. But I don't do it for the 'love' of flying or the 'passion' I do it for cold, hard cash and the expectation that, for the company I work for, I will carry, safely, upto 300 people (including, many times, major business/political personalities and AAA list celebrities) who have paid alot of money (1st class etc.) to their destination in accordance with the safety standards I and my colleagues apply to our daily work thus maintaining the safety and efficiency record of their/my company. For these services and
responsibilities I demand adequate recompense.
To do so for less sells yourself and your abilities short and lessens the professionalism of your colleagues/peers.
Sod the 'live the dream' it's about time we all got real and understood, in our lifestyle driven world, that 'Commercial Piloting' is a pretty cr@p and demanding job both psychologically and socially.
Think about that before 'living the dream' because the 'dream' wears thin after a while.