Also: at least in the U.S., being an airline pilot is one of those career decisions that only really starts to pay off financially/lifestyle-wise later in your

Also: at least in the U.S., being an airline pilot is one of those career decisions that only really starts to pay off financially/lifestyle-wise later in your career. The pay and conditions of (say) mainline 777 captain vs. regional ERJ first-officer are very, very different and almost everything is seniority-based.