And therein Metro man, lies the rub. The industry today is NOT what it was 'in the old days'.
50 years ago, the likes of PanAm, TWA, BOAC, Cathay etc provided a career and lifestyle very different to what even the best today can offer. Senior Captains did indeed retire at 55, often on full pensions. Those that were on wife number 4 had no trouble finding work in the independents. Nowdays, the glamour, security and financial benefits are very different, especially with the likes of Ryanair around. The games changed. Airlines are run by accountants today, not eccentric billionaires, flamboyant CEO's, playboys or government corporations.
For every unhappy pilot in EK, I'll find you one in BA. For every unhappy one in BA, they'll find you one in Delta....and Southwest and Jet Blue and Cathay and Malaysian and Qantas. We're pilots. We moan and complain and we're famous for it. The US pilots may well be in a good place for now but they weren't a few years back. Many pilots lost their livelihood, many senior guys lost jobs and pensions. All of it. Many were furloughed and there's a lot of guys and girls struggling at the foot of this industry trying to survive on $20,000 a year. For the responsibility the job entails, that's criminal in my opinion. Some Pilots, it would appear, have short memories.
Very few, if any airlines, now provide full pilot sponsorships. Even BA will be stopping theirs soon. They'll accept you for a course, but you'll be paying for it all yourself. That's £100,000. 5 years ago, the airline paid.
So, while the thread may well be asking a very valid question, we'll never really know whether it was the right move or not until the day we hang up our flying goggles for the last time. From the comfort of your armchair, as you stare out the window with brandy in hand, only then will you be truly in a position to look back on your entire career and answer that question.
Of course, the quality of the brandy and the view out of the window will answer that question for you!
Harry