Well said trukflyer.
I would say though it's not a flashnew neither...
There are many points.
First, we can udnerstand it's a "dream" career. Kids always wanted to be a fireman, policeman, or pilot, astronaut etc.
Pilot is one of the job, where between the imagination and reality, there is a big big step actually, ESPECIALLY nowadays.
It's a job where you have no clue how is it until you get there. That's the problem too.
Even from a FTO/TRTO to an airline, there is a big stone step.
I have been flying on jet and quit the industry. No regrets.
As I said in another thread, it depends MAINLY on the LIFESTYLE you want.
As truckflyer said, if you want to live like gipsies or bohemians with no futur plan, then it's a nice career.
The LCC understood well how to manage the business:
in 2014, they prefer hiring youngs indebted pilots so they can not complain.
At this age and with a low experience they have no weight for fighting.
They use them as a kleenex and once used, they will upgrade some of them as docile captains and throw the surplus F/o who became older and more mature (so they could complain now).
Then they replace the F/O rejected by others youngs docile fresh meat.
It's very simple with self-emplyed pilot.