oli carley,
I was in your position a couple of years ago too. I pulled my hair out trying to decide what to do. I ended up going to uni.
I've always enjoyed electronics, though I would have loved to have done an Aeronautical Engineering degree. I choose to do the Electronic Engineering sandwich degree because:
1. I could live at home, which is much cheaper.
2. There is a uni within travelling distance that has an excellent Electronics department.
3. I could spend my student loan (a very cheap loan, interest rate equal to inflation ish), part time job and industrial placement earnings on hour building + ground school rather than on accomodation/living expenses.
4. If there is an industry down turn, pilot jobs aren't the only jobs to go. A degree in something non-aviation related meant a better back up plan for me. My friend worked for Rolls Royce at Barnoldswick in Keighley, designing the fan blades to go on the engines of the A380. He was made redundant after Sept 11th.
So when I graduate I will have some of my ATPL exams passed with the money saved to do the rest, and enough PIC hours start the CPL course when ground school is complete. I plan to get a job in Electronics to fund the rest of my training.
I did my PPL whilst studying for my A Levels. I payed for it by working every school holiday and every weekend.
Good luck, think carefully. Your final decision depends on your personnal circumstances. E.g you may not have a good uni within travelling distance, so any degree may mean spending lots of money on living expenses.
