Now is your time
To neat12 and others like you, there has been no better time in my memory of my 30+ years of flying, to consider becoming a helicopter pilot. The company I work for overseas on a 6/6 week touring position from Oz, pays me very well, effectively double what I could earn in Oz, and are at this very moment in need of an additional 40 pilots to meet their projected needs. And guess what......the pilots are not there because the industry world wide did not plan for this very predictable short fall.
A word of advice, pick the area of the industry that you feel you might like to make your career. I'm in off-shore so if that's your bent, do your ATPL and IREX immediately, then seek a position as a CP or in marine pilot transfer as soon as you can. Places like Esso and Bristows are excellent places to enable you to achieve your aims.
This time is yours, I wish it was like this when I started and I would be retiring a very rich man.
You’ll find plenty of knockers but what ever you do, don’t loose the dream.
Best of luck
Geoff