You have to spend a ton of money learning? Usually. It was relatively cheap when I trained. Maybe $20-25k.
Takes many years to start getting paid? It did. The current environment has changed because of mandatory retirement, but you're still gonna take your lumps at several places before landing the dream job. Some will never land it.
You gotta have connections to get a job? It's a small world. You have to network and not piss people off. It also helps a fk ton if you were in the military, have female reproductive parts or an excess of melanin. But that's because SJW's have infested HR departments and is true anywhere.
Those are three big issues. Time away from home is another. Working a lot of red eyes, weekends and holidays until you get senior, and then working a lot of red eyes, weekends and holidays at the next job and or dream job until you get senior. And generally having a pretty variable schedule that does not necessarily align with the rest of the working world. My wife, for example, also has a very variable schedule and we spend a small fortune each month on childcare. I went one stretch where I wasn't home for Thanksgiving 11 years in a row, and missed 10 out of 11 Christmases. Stuff like that.
It's a pretty kick ass gig once you land at the dream job be it a major airline, fractional/corporate or big freight. Until then its pretty much an ass kicking with a nice window office. And I'm not sure someone starting today will necessarily end up doing the same job we're doing now. Or even leave the ground for that matter.