Welcome...
Keep looking on these forums, and you'll find all the answers to your questions. It's all been said and done to death a thousand times over.
My best advice is listen to the moderators and hold onto your cash. You sound young enough to wait until you're eligible for CTC-McAlpine, FlyBe or the holy grail of BA re-starting sponsorship [tip: this last one probably ain't gonna happen!]
Best of luck!