Whilst I don’t disagree with most of what is said in this thread, if I kicked my son out at 18 and told him to:
flip burgers at McDonalds, pump gas or pour beers at a bar to fund it, and 2-3 years down the track you will have a CPL that you own.
I’m sorry, but the ship has long sailed since those kind of economics worked for student pilots.
There is absolutely no way that a young kid today can rent a room, eat, and earn a CPL by flipping burgers or pumping gas (we call it petrol), no matter how hard working he is. Have you had a look recently?
These days, there are only 2 ways a young kid can get a CPL.
1. Mum/Dad pays; or
2. Airline/Government pays.