Like anything in life, that most of the younger people wouldnt know because they havent lived long enough, is that flying is dynamic. As you posted you were asking about professional pilots and not just airline pilots. There is a fairly wide range of possibilities to work as a pilot. It should be approached depending on YOU, YOUR life, YOUR needs, YOUR desires. Some of it is planning and working hard a lot of it is LUCK. What a certain company is today they might not be tomorrow, who is hiring, where they are hiring, what equipment they are hiring for, what contracts are up for renewal, who is buying who, who was a backstab to the pilot group (Goatjets), who is a bottom feeding piss on the employees terrible reputation company(Mesa), economy, fuel prices, stability of their particular market, etc etc etc.....
The job is fun, flying is fun, the challenge is fun, when you are with the right crew it is a lot of fun, it is a very cool job, the life however, can be a living hell if you arent lucky or werent smart in what you chose. DO NOT get an aviation degree, DO NOT rack up debt in earning ratings, DO NOT take the advice of bitter people. Flying for a living is very much different than flying around the sky for the joy of it though. A pleasure pilot or even a CFI doesnt mean you will make a good professional operation pilot or even like it. I was like you. I changed careers. I made my money and paid for flying outright. I was lucky in aviation. 5 years from intro flight to Captain 121 that included instructing, charter, and corporate. I was never laid off or furloughed and never step I took was up and not back or sideways. I would like to say because I was so brilliant in picking my path but I was just lucky. Flying for a living fits my life and treats me ok. I make more now than I did and I enjoy my job a lot more but it just isnt for everyone.
