flyvirgin
Why the hell did you start your training 6 months into the worst recession in living memory? This part I just do not understand. When will wannabes ever learn?
Not too sure about that.
Had he started his training in 2007 when the industry was booming, his situation wouldn't have been better being on the market mid 2008.
I think the timing is OK. You already got an interview. The job market will remain difficult anyway.
It's good you share your concerns here, as it may help some individuals in their decision making process.
Getting an airline job right after flight school shouldn't be your initial plan.
You should set your training, you financial situation, your expectations for this time frame and goals:
-1 years after finishing flight school you should land an instructor job position,
-4 years after finishing flight school you should land a non-instructor pilot job
-8 years after finishing flight school you should see yourself in a nice turboprop like the Q400.
-12 years after finishing flight school you should land a turbofan job position (oil production/price permitting).
In our economic and pilot job market, this is the time frame you should have in mind, anything coming sooner would be a bonus. And as somebody already said in this thread, it's valuable and rewarding to build your skills and experience step by step.