Another perspective
Another option which I think may be worth considering is to go into the city where the salaries quite frankly make a mockery of everything else! A young and hungry chap can within a couple of years could be earning £40-£50k for doing a corporate banking/shipping broking etc job. My Sister in Law went into finance with a third class Psychology degree. Ten years later aged 34 she earned 140k basic pay plus 140k bonus and that's by no means exceptional. Another friend of a friend makes £65 000 a month as a futures trader and basically could retire tomorrow aged 35 if he wanted to.
Sometimes I wonder whether I should have done it when I was 22 for a few years just to 'set myself up for life' Then at 30 you can decide what floats your boat.
Much as I despise the culture of greed in there and would no dounbt hate the environment there's something to be said for suffering it for a few years to never have the financial concerns the rest of us have.
(I ended up in airline Management which contrary to what you read on here isn't actually that well paid)
Desk-pilot