Hi Renright,
I'm like you an Irish wannabe. Am desperate to start my training but realise due to the very high cost, poor job market that it's a really big risk. Am 29 yrs old and currently work as a Quality Systems Engineer, I dont like my job and dream of the day I can leave it behind. Am currently saving as much as I possibly can per month and even though i'm going to have to work for the next 2 yrs in order to save the funds needed it will be worth it in the long run, not having a big loan hanging over me.
Keep the head down in the job for a while, save as much as you can and then go training, u be glad you did in the long run.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
normb.