Jock,
Couldn't agree more!! For those of us with mouths to feed who are switching careers (my choice I admit) lost earnings are a real issue, not to mention the reduced income that follows once you finally manage to hop from the top rung (or near it) of one ladder to the bottom rung of another.
Still like most wannabe's my desire to fly for a living exceeds my desire to simply earn money and carry on in the same old rat race...
Good luck to us all...
Pilot Paul