I am trying to help him.
If you absolutely insist, do the training in ultra slow time. Maybe wait a year or two until the FTOs are on their asses, and desperate for students. Training costs will drop dramatically hopefully. Then, and only then, start the courses slowly, spread it over several years while you work on an alternate fall back career simultaneously.
Then, in 5-10 years, when the unemployed and experienced pilots have been reabsorbed, enter the market with a fresh frozen ATPL or MPL. The timing might be good then.
However, terms and conditions have and will stay destroyed forever.
I am definitely worse off now than I was 10 years ago, and I've gone from the right to left seat in the same airline!