girl friday =>
About the sponsorship, I think after you've applied to CTC and have done the initial training, the airline contacts CTC and asks for cadets, then you (hopefully) get recommended to them. The airline then pays for your type rating and you remain forever in their debt.
I got this from the CTC website and from other threads, but I don't know from experience. Someone'll correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure.
Also it won't make you feel better, but I feel old at 23 and having not started training yet. From looking at
www.cadetpilot.com, it appears that some cadets are in the older end of the age bracket and secured sponsorship from an airline, so there's still hope.