Whilst i have read some very good points on both sides of this argument, i think that i would have to lean to the side of abra on this one. It is all very well saying to people who are about to throw all of their savings at becoming a pilot, that it is an easy thing to do. The reality is quite different. The amount of money, students are expected to pay for ground school alone puts other proffessions into a different league. This coupled with the remarkably selective nature of the industry at the present time means that airlines are firmly in the driving seat, and given a pile of CV's through their office every day, why would they settle for anything less that the best??? It is all very well to say that brilliant academics may not make the best pilots, and that airlines want good characterful people to be pilots, but believe it or not, the two are not mutually exclusive. There are very smart people who pass exams first time who are perfect characters for being pilots. It is these people who will get their foot in the door first and it is unwise to delude yourselves otherwise.
Before embarking on a career in aviation, everyone should do the research. You are spending a mortgage worth of money and if you are not careful you will end up with nothing to show for it. This website seems to love to tell the fairy tales of people who have scraped through on their last sitting and still have gone on to have star studded careers. They do not seem to warn people about the vast majority these days who end up with frozen ATPL's working at the call centre with British Gas!
Good luck to anyone who is going for it, just remember... Study Hard!!!