This reply is directed at both yourself and Spinningtop so please read carefully. If you both wish to enter Aviation as a career, fine and the best of luck to you both. However, before you do so think carefully. Do you wish to enter the maintenance or manufacturing sectors?. Think long term here. I can appreciate that at your ages the "hands on" aspect may seem very appealing and the Licence the obvious route to take. BUT, and it is a big BUT, this will prove to be very restrictive in years to come. I would suggest you both persue the Degree route and gain a qualification that will offer you greater scope in the future--not to mention a better working environment as well as personal and intellectual development. Once you have this qualification, you could possibly explore areas such as the PFA and the BGA for hands on involvement to compliment your Degree training. If you pursue the Licence route however,you will encounter quite a few tabloid reading luddites who have yet to understand that a Licence is purely a vocational qualification to satisfy the regulatory requirements. To many, the Licence is the "holy grail" and they cannot see beyond the limitations it imposes. If you have a Degree as well, you can expect to encounter an awful lot of insularity and downright hostility from a significant number of LAE's who feel that you have not done a "proper apprenticeship" and therefore have to be treated like an idiot So, I suggest you both think very carefully about the long term and the benefits you will obtain from going down the Degree route. And if you want another option, consider the RAF. It may not be the organisation it once was, but all organisations change ( well some don't I know ! ) and you will gain a lot of invaluable experience in both Aviation and life. Best of luck to you both.