I got my degree when I was 21, went into an industry totally unrelated to aviation - made my pennies, and now at 28 am pretty much ready for an aviation job... I reckon my training cost the bare minimum which was the fewest hours required, no fails, and modular. I reckon it was a smidge under £30k all in.
I guess my point is that I certainly don't regret my university years even though the degree wasn't much use after I left though it probably helped me a wee bit with my ATPL studies. Having some cash from another industry has also taken away a large chunk of the burden of aviation - the cost. At 28 I haven't exactly missed the boat either.
As for finding the funds... this is a much discussed topic round these parts and certainly not easy.
Good luck with whatever you decide and feel free to PM me if you want specifics!
METAR
(It's all about the now)