Job (in)security
It's quite funny reading the last few posts about the obvious employment insecurities experienced across commercial aviation. It's funny because I am currently working in the public sector (yes, that's the one that's supposed to be the most secure, job for life type scenario). The reason I started on the modular route training is because they put us all at risk, made many staff redundant and while I've survived a couple of rounds of redundancies, I'm not confident in the future. I decided to at least try to make what I love pay the bills.
With respect to those who say that for them it's just a job that pays for the next skiing holiday, and they'd get out of it if they could, most of the commercial chaps I met as a young PPL said the same thing and that put me off. I didn't want to lose my love of flying. And then I met the other side - peope who rush home after doing Malaga and back to pull out their little taildragger for a leisurely bimble, or who maintain their instructors rating and spend most of their rest days instructing or doing renewals - not for the money, but because they love flying. I guess this breed is less common than the disillusioned sky-bus drivers, but I hope to stay in the rare breed camp.