I have to respectfully disagree with you. 100K is not a good pay check given the experiance and education most major airline pilots have. Think about it, pick almost any other profession which requires a college degree and significant professional training. How much are they making ten or twenty years down the road? My wife is in HR for a large company, about 10 years experiance now, and she's pushing 100K. My brother in law is an accountant for a large firm. He's about 12 years in and making 200K plus. Many of my buddies from college are now making that and more. A neighbor is a pharmisist, he makes about 150K. Another neighbor is a mortgage broker. Granted interest rates have helped but he's making more than I do. Sorry, there is nothing special about a 100,000$ salary, not for college educated professionals.
Now, do we have to be smart about our money, yes. Do I need to fund my own retirement, sure. Were some of the old work rules and pensions at major airlines unsustainable, you bet. But don't for a minute think that 100K a year is special.