What I think that most newbies do is that they aim too high without even having started their real training on the road to become a pilot! Sure, the aviation industry isn't very attractive but seriously... Would you rather have an office job and forget the dream you had since you were a kid?
Aim high, but not too high. According to what I know, it's extremely difficult to get into a major airline once you graduate from an ab-inito program such as the APP in EFT.
What about working as an instructor for a while and be patient for a while. Maybe one could get into a regional airline and work there for a few years until the big job comes up! To pay for ratings and applications to be read is absolutely ridiculous!
What do you think about those future plans?