Let's give you another spin on it.
I'm 45. Second Christmas in a row I'm unemployed (underemployed).
At 38 years old, I was a captain on a B737-800 at ATA. We had a pretty damn good contract, as far as I was concerned, but that's a whole other story, and was happy to retire at 60 with $1.5-2M. I maxxed out my 401k contributions even before I upgraded. College for the kid was already paid for. I was debt free, and living well below my means. I had funds to survive 6 months to a year unemployed.
April 3, 2008 changed all that. My wife (FA) and I were unemployed at the same time the economy was in the midst of falling out of the sky. I didn't expect all of that to happen at he same time. Remember, if you will, that the rest of the industry suddenly stopped hiring and/or started furloughing. Also, there were no other jobs out there to easily make a living in or out of aviation. I turned down two regional jobs with a history of quick upgrades, in the interview, after I told them I made more on unemployment. The quick upgrades had already come to a halt. Don't let anyone tell you they're looking really hard for jobs while on unemployment. I had planned on surviving on UE and savings until I could find the next "suitable job."
I found one aviation "job" at a joke of (non)start-up out of TX. Three months later I left the country for a short-term contract flying job. Six months after that I was out of a job (Apr. 2009). With nothing happening in this country, at all, and not willing to go overseas for a career FO job, I started a company. Wife was laid off twice (non-aviation) in this period. She's now 50, 24 yr. FA at ATA with no interest in going back to aviation. Needless to say, I'm way in debt, had to raid that IRA (converted) to fund the company. Only took 9 months of UE which expired over a year ago. Didn't use any more taxpayer money to support myself. I'm going to have to work past 60, maybe past 65 to catch up. BTW, I've not missed one mortgage payment, child support payment, and everyone has catastrophic insurance, at least. Three months ago, and after 18 months outside of a jet, I was blessed with a short-term contract job in S. America. It has ended, but it got me current (left and right seat) and provided me with decent income. I'm looking in Africa for work.
I realize that pilots "eat their young." Look at first year pay at the legacies; it's less than new teacher pay. I realize that unions want the old to retire, so they can keep them beholden to unions at contract time, and bring in the young to perpetuate the myth that only unions can "protect your career." I resent the implication that those working after 60 are only working for fun or greed. That they are somehow beholden to the young and unemployed to sacrifice their income, their careers when their "time" comes is bullsh!t. With that logic, due to my age, experience, and employment status YOU owe me a job! SWA owes me a job, because they used ATA to gain/eliminate market share. They put their own management in place to "run" the company. They did buy the TZ cert. ya know, and didn't hire a soul as a result. But, that's business. ALPA owes me a job because they negotiated the '02 contract and the '05 concessions that were supposed to save the company. LOL. But, that's business and politics. No one owes me anything. I don't owe anyone anything. None of us has the right to tell the other how to live their life, so long as it's legal, and doesn't infringe upon the legal rights of others.
After reading this forum and others over the last few years, the sense of entitlement expressed here is really sickening. Life is unfair. People less deserving than you by any measure sometimes succeed. "Thoughtspeak" on the internet forums belie the truth and are counter productive to our lives.
My holiday advice, is to GET OVER IT. Count your blessings, George Bailey, and take the time to appreciate those blessings. Quit asking/demanding for more, because you don't get to determine what you deserve or what you'll get. You'd be surprised how much you already have.
HappyFelizKhanaKwanzamas! and Happy New Year, Damm!t!!