koko~ You are 100% right, it is real easy to sit up in the cheap seats and flap my lips in the wind, I'll give you that. And yes, I count my blessing everyday I ended up where I did. But I also know that my skills at making money are not just limited to avaition. I love being a pilot but I don't have to be a pilot.
Nothing is ever a 'sure thing' and even though I am at a fairly stable company right now that doesn't mean things won't change. I know for a fact, almost, that by the time I retire in 2030 that company funded pensions will be something you only read about in the history books. I try to stay ahead of the game and be prepared, sometimes your right and sometimes you are wrong.
I never want to see anyone lose their job but at the same time I don't want to see what happen to United and UAir again either.