Dudley Henriques writes:

I've seen pilots in my career who did nothing but fly for fun and recreation
who were among the finest pilots I've ever known, and I've seen pilots with
a professional title a mile long who were the worst of the worst.

That is not necessarily surprising. Hobby pilots most probably enjoy
or even adore aviation, and this affection for flying may well
motivate them to improve their own piloting skills. Professional
pilots, on the other hand, earn a living by flying, and they may or
may not be actually interested in aviation. Those who just want the
job may not be motivated to do anything more than the absolute minimum
required to earn a paycheck, and thus may be mediocre pilots.

There are many variables, of course. And this phenomenon is not
unique to aviation. Some people engage in certain activities just for
the sake of earning money; others engage in them both out of a love of
the activity and the need or desire to earn money; and still others
engage in them out of an affection for the activity alone, without
monetary compensation.

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