James,
It is a great career, I still go to work everyday and LOVE what I do, but please don't get me wrong, I'm not in it for the money!
IMHO, the best way to get into it, is to get an apprenticeship, it gives you a good foundation to build on, and is a recognised level of training. (At one point when I was contracting, you could only get onto a certain contract if you had an apprenticeship certificate!)
The only problem with that is that I notice on your profile that you are 23, this could be a problem, as I think you have to be below a certain age for apprenticeships, but it might be worth checking it out.
If that is a no goer, some companies will take "trainees" who are a little older that an apprentice.
The possibilities are good, there are contracts and permenant jobs worldwide for licenced and unlicenced engineers, but obviously there is more money with a licence.
For me, the one BIG con, is that after a day of grafting your a*se off working overtime and putting in everything you have, you seldom get a word of thanks, don't get me wrong, there are some managers who make the effort to give out thanks, but it is rare in my opinion.
The other con is that it CAN get repetitive depending on where you work.
There is so much that I could tell you, if you fancy PM'ing me, I'd be happy to give you more info, and details of companies if you need them
Cheers
Helieng