WhyByFlier
4468, you raise a good point. In my experience there are 4 main reasons why people become a pilot:
1. For the raw love of flying planes.
2. To travel.
3. For the status.
4. For the perception that pilots are loaded.
I became a pilot solely for point 1 and thus I'm very happy with the job, easyJet (who offer fantastic flying) and the prospect of doing this as my career until retirement. You can never be perfect in this game, there's immediate feedback as to your performance and the work IS meaningful. People who chose it for 2 become VERY frustrated in an airline like easyJet and usually allow their thoughts to get them into a position of divorce, few friends and a middle eastern owned villa.
I'm afraid if you "became a pilot solely for point 1", then becoming an
airline pilot probably wasn't the best choice you could have made!
I've always said, the best paid pilot jobs are either dangerous or boring, and airline flying certainly shouldn't be dangerous!
Anyone seeking point 1, most definitely should NOT be considering selling their soul to the devil to sit in the RHS of an airliner! There is so much fabulous flying to be done elsewhere!
There are also non-flying jobs that pay much much better, should you prefer to turn yourself upside down on a weekend at your own expense!
