Bushy,
I am rather inclined to agree with your summary of the problems with flying training.
The flying school brochures talk of 'this exciting, expanding and well paid career' when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.
All those pictures of bright young things stepping into the cockpit of some new twin airliner, jet or turbine, are no more than fiction.
It takes a lot of time for trainess to realise that if they are to get into new hardware and be well paid for doing so then they are going to have to go though hell and high water to get there and even then they are going to be one of the 1% that have made the cut. Not quite like how the flying school said it would be !
Considering the amount of dollars, time and study I think that the average trainee could well have done far better at Uni to gain a qualification that will bring in real dollars in the short term and have real career prospects.