James,
Look across the board there aren't that many opportunities for an aircraft engineer of any type to become a pilot. In my career that was post flight engineers, I know of a whopping two engineers now flying in the airlines. Neither of them were LAME's - both AME's who moved on very young.
The airlines won't allow career progression from LAME to Driver generally unless there is an amazing amount of suction going on somewhere. Especially so if you make the mistake of showing some technical aptitude as an engineer
Engineering wages are markedly low at the moment compared to people who live outside the airport fence - that is where you spend your money, so there is no point comparing airline wages to airline wages. Compare them to other general wage earners with similar positions, considering the wage rises of each across the last ten years in particular. Unqualified IT people for example with no responsibility and little experience and certainly no criminal charges pending in the case of miss adventure earn $80 - $100 per hour on contract rates whilst unqualified aircraft maintenance personnel earn less than $30.00 contract, and these days they don't even get staff travel !!!!!!
If you want to fund a flying career as an AME (it takes ten years plus plus plus to become a LAME in the airlines earning the figures quoted) then you will earn less than a dish pig and get treated far worse by the airlines, even though you have legislated responsibility under a stringent act that is written to hang you and your supervisor from the rafters in the case of missadventure.
At least washing dishes you won't have to pay for your own interview and you might meet some nice girls in the hospitality industry
