Storm_Surfer,
Most pilots working for the major airlines, lets face it ‘we’ are the ones with the real knowledge and experience, would completely disagree.
Not at all. You disagree, yet I'm sure others will agree. We all have different opinions and the way you went worked for you. However you can't deny that people who went different routes (ie. by getting a PPL first) have also made it.
The OP asked about getting a PPL in order to get a sponsorship (with the likes of Atlantic probably?), I take that as him having already made his decision. It is nice to hear another point of view, but maybe he isn't comfortable with the huge amounts of debt that you were happy to handle.
Afterall, it's a risk, even you would admit that?
5 years later you’ll have your licence, its cost you 40k and now you have to find a job, not looking that attractive to the big players
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Again, lets not jump to conclusions or paint everyone with the same brush. Some modular students have completed faster than integrated students, some have taken much longer. As long as everyone gets to the position they want to get to, then all is good - is it not?
If only I could remember what thread I read it in, I would paste a comment from Ham Phisted (hope he doesn't mind being mentioned) saying that he trained as cheaply as possible, got a job with flybe., flew 220 sectors then applied and got into the airline I assume you fly for.
Training is just a means to an end.
I gather from the anger in your posts you are a true wannabe
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If you consider a 16 year old student to be such an angry wannabe, then you aren't far off - afterall I have been reading the negativity of Pprune since younger than most I'd imagine, hoping to research as much as possible whilst counting down the years until I can start training (hopefully a lot wiser than a lot who embark on training not even knowing what to do when they've finished).
Unfortunately, I've probably been indoctrinated with all this negativity. But then again I would rather know the downs aswell as the ups. As we know, most training organisations will only give you one side of the coin.
All the best,
BerksFlyer