wheresryan2, what you chose to do in the end is up to you! However, enevitably, you want to be flying jets as opposed to flying 152's around your local airfield?!
Just to give you a brief summary on my background. I qualified 5 years ago and never got a job until early this year. I only had 250 hours and didn't pass everything first time. I kept my ratings alive during the last couple of years but didn't fly that much as I couldn't really afford to.
However, I got lucky.....I got a job offer and ended up having to pay for a type rating on a Citation. I was always against paying for a type rating. Considering the amount of money we put into our initial training, it was crazy to warrant a further £10-£15,000. However, you try to get a job without a rating! Its virtually impossible. The tables have certainly turned now in the aviation world and you have to be extremely lucky to get a job without having to put your hand in your pocket - or even your bank managers!! Also, just to be clear - I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth - the complete opposite. My parents couldn't afford for me to go to Uni let alone pay for my flying!! I certainly understand the value of money and the sheer expense behind it all. So many of my flying colleagues would talk about £5000 being a small amount to pay for a variety of courses - I thought these people were crazy - but in flying terms, everything is expensive.
I am now fully qualified to fly corporate jets and its the bollocks!! Flying to a variety of different countries on a regular basis; flying at FL400 (max FL450) at speeds of .75mach; carrying out radar vectored ILS's one day and the next an NDB approach; flying to places like Russia, Poland, Iceland, Northern Africa etc etc certainly helps to enhance your flying skills. I get paid a reasonable income (much better than an instructor) and get to visit a lot of different countries, occassionally chill by the pool and keep having to pinch myself as I am, again, being paid for this!!
Or on the otherhand, you could be flying 152's around the local airfield...up, down, BANG, up, down, BANG!!! (bad students being taught to fly circuits!!).
I know there is more to being an instructor - however, there is a large element of risk and luck in this industry and sometimes going down the instructors route can be seen as the easier option, the less risky one. It, in my view, would also be the more expensive option as you will no doubt have to pay for a type rating at a later date and you would have already paid for an instructors course (not forgetting the shortfall in pay compared to a commercial airline/corporate pilot).
If you honestly believe in your abilities and believe that you'll get there, then you have to invest in yourself as you may regret it later. Broaden your search when looking for a job and look up all the corporate jet companies (not just the airlines). So many people don't and they really don't know what there missing out on. Network, network, network. Go and visit your local airfields. Talk to people. You'll never know whats around the corner!!
Good luck and really think it through before spending that hard earned cash!!
Its all worth it in the end.
Best of luck.