Touchy, touchy, you put comments out in cyberspace and get all girly when you are challenged. I call 'em as I see 'em. Some people don't like the rules here, and some don't like the intensity, and some don't think the effort is worth a reward that is not fully guaranteed - so they leave. It doesn't make or break them in any respect, but their are a lot of people who have got their first shot through Pan Am. Like you said: you get out of it what you put into it - and that's the only guarantee that anyone can give. If you want to compare resumes, then how many competitive, CREDIBLE, organizations / careers / jobs have you been involved in? Personally, I can claim a spot with the USFS Smokejumpers (which is the nations most elite airborne wildfire suppression group); a spot in one of the largest and most competitive fire departments in the country; and a full partnership in a government consulting business (we talk with the people just below the president, embassy heads, corporate VPs', etc). You say you are tired of people from the outside coming in and giving advice, but maybe those people have something to show you about competition. And, by the way - the game is the same everywhere, just with a few different rules. But that's only out of the mouths of airline (major) captains, doctors, and multiple CEO's - so what could they really know?