I used to love my job. It was a challenge. It gave me a sense of accomplishment when I would troubleshoot a complex aircraft system and fix it so it could fly you all on vacations or business trips, etc. I lost that job when Frontier filed bankruptcy. Now I work for Boeing as a preflight and delivery inspector. I HATE this job. I review tons of paperwork and go check that the mechanics build and / or fix problems correctly. I never get to fix planes anymore and the company treats people like crap. Everything is a witch hunt. The pay is about what I made in the airlines, but life in the Seattle area is at least twice what it is in Denver Metro. It rains here constantly and I seriously HATE hipsters. I miss Colorado and my friends. The only reason I don't come back is that in the past 4 years, my knees have degenerated to the point that I now have 2 fake knees, so crawling around on the ground is not an option anymore. I can't really change careers since I have been at this since going to Colorado Aero Tech in 1988. I am currently watching for QA jobs in the Denver area that pay what I need to live comfortably, so I may be back someday!
A word of advice to any of you younger folk out there, life is too short to be stuck doing a job you don't like. If you are only into your career a few years and it isn't what you thought it would be, change directions! Do not spend your life doing a job you hate. When you get old and look back, it will be looking back with regrets!