This is just my 2 pence worth..
I am currently at the stage where I am trying to save my a**e off to get every penny to pursue this long awaited dream. It is easy for all of us to say that 'I have wanted this ever since I was a child' or 'flying is my dream'. I am in a well paid job with a top IT consultancy and will be looking to make the move into the 'contract' market asap.
It phases me when youngsters who are thinking of putting up their parents house as security or taking out extensive credit card, loan debts without asking the more humbling and realistic quesiton of 'How long will my dream last if I dont get a job at the end and have 70k to pay back'.
Set yourself realistic expectations and manage the risk accordingly. I am 27 and indeed working for another 2-3 years to save the money will put me in my early 30s. Will it do me any harm? Probably not, as I hope to have no debt at the end of it and make sufficient contacts.
Flying is more than 'pushing buttons', The Big Academies are money making machines and if a smaller FBO is offering you the same opportunity then it makes you think....
Fact: Credit is big business and a part of life, it is how you manage Credit that is 'critical'.
Fact: Credit can 'ruin' you especially if you have no backup option.
Having graduated from University and with racked up credit cards, SL's and other expenses (which have been all cleared) it quickly became apparant that I certainly have no desire to be paying back over a 10 year period.
But I went through the university process to ensure I have sufficient means to pay back and a stable career, if I dont end up in flying... It is still a 'realistic dream'..
Scoobster