Firstly I got paid as a jump pilot (thanks 27!). I actually earnt more doing that than my first year as a casual charter pilot. So please don't stereotype and judge. You will notice I haven't ever posted here "do not do a cadetship".
All I am doing is providing a counter balance so a kid reading this forum who just missed out on the cadetship doesn't think it's all over.
Truthfully the story I told is a composite of myself and a few friends careers. I am still 'up north' and loving it. I also have 2 good friends who were cadets we all graduated school the same year.
The Jetstar cadet is like you say, enjoying decent money, lives in the city with all his friends and takes overseas holidays. Yet when we catch up he wants to know what a C210 is like and how do I do VFR in some of the weather he see's from his A320 at Darwin during the wet. We both are loving life and both have moments of jealousy of each other. That's life. There were cadets on his course who dropped out, got 'moved on' and started with Jetstar 12 months after he did. No one experience is typical.
My other friend is a Qantas Cadet from one of the last courses before the scheme was cancelled. He has only spoken to Qantas a couple of times since he started the course and since graduating the degree has heard nothing. He's working in GA and like me loving it but doubts he will ever see the cockpit of a Qantas jet despite all the time, effort and money he put towards the cadetship.
We are all happy. We are all marching different routes. One path isn't the best. In fact the same path can yield different results from different people. Stop scaremongering. GA is still alive and well and lots of fun. If you miss out on a cadetship (or decide it's not for you) all is not lost.