Hi Propellers,
I admire your honesty. Some people here would probably give you a hard time for doing pay to fly but your experience is interesting. In the same way that we have no-fault accident reporting to encourage people to be open, I think it is good to hear everyone's story here without stopping them being open.
Can I ask who you work for or at least which country you are based in and how much did the type-rating and 500 hours cost? You certainly are lucky to now have a job that pays. I would love to be flying right now. I completed my training all the way throught to ME-CPL/IR and MCC with ATPL's but have not got the kind of flying job I truly want.....yet!
I think determination is certainly one thing needed in this career. If you don't want to say who the operator is maybe you could send me a PM?