Flying is a cruel mistress, asking much and often giving little in return. I have been flying professionally for 34 years and the current downturn is the 4 th of my career. Fortunately I had a second career and when flying stalled out I could switch over.
That being said I was always an aviation geek and I had a subscription to flying magazine when I was 9. Of my peer group all the ones who really, really wanted to fly ended up with good careers, albeit with some very hard times on the way. The ones who were not fully invested in flying all seemed to drop away when things got hard.
I fully support the recommendation to get involved in gliding ASAP. The foundation hands and feet skills gained will serve your son well, regardless of what he ends up flying. I would also suggest he look at the RAF. The military still has the best training available and a secure future with a guaranteed pension.