OI812, I mean no offense, but I have to ask you a question. It appears your first flight was at 31 years of age, and at 35 you will start at TSA. You will spend 3 to 5 years before upgrading, many variables involved in that, so you might be 40 before becoming captain. Then you spend 2 years getting the minimum PIC time needed to get to an airline where you can make some semblance of a living...maybe!! Most people who have the competitive qualifications will NOT be hired at the majors. There are far too few jobs at the majors now for everyone at the regionals who have the competitive mins. Unlike 10 years ago when the regionals were maybe 10% of airline capacity, now they are maybe 30-40 and I feel will be 50% soon with all the 70 seaters and 100 seaters going to the regionals.
OK OK, my question is WHY!!!!! You will most likely be hard pressed to break 35K a year until you're 40, then a whopping 60 to 65 K as a captain where you will most likely be for the rest of your career. Again no offense, but I feel it's the drive from people like yourself who so badly want to fly a jet you will do so for so little it makes the career unviable for people like me.
Look, I was like you. I would give anything to be a pilot. Well it aint all that. You are treated like crap!! You are somebody to fill a seat, no more no less. Your employer does not care who fills the seat as long as it is filled and they will use every excuse in the book to keep you from earning a fair wage and flying a fair schedule. They will say look, we have thousands of wannabe's who will take your job for a fraction of what we pay you, so why should we give you a raise or more time off? They will pull out a resume to show you...oh look, it is from OI812, look, look, he will do your job for less, he is a good man!! And management will proceed to tell you to suck it up!! You get my point?
Oh and I hope you enjoy working for Hulia, he is a fine man. A scholar and a gentleman!