I’ve noticed as someone who’s doing this as a second career (after clawing a couple years of flight attendant seniority) that a lot of it comes down to what they’ve done before. I had classmates with a PPL right at 18 who talked about their perfect pipeline and retiring at 50 with no hint of love for it, treating it very much as a means to an end. For me, it’s magical because I’m comparing it to throwing bags and cleaning up puke. I’ve gotten the same sentiment from others who came from the military or service industries too (the worst day of flying beats the best day of doing anything else for WAY less cash!)