Hello Rob
Good on ya fella, you seem to know what you want out of life and are going the right way about achieving it by asking those in the know for advice. I have left it about 20 odd years to realise that I want to be a professional helicopter pilot and now I don't reckon anyone is going to employ me even after I do a CPL(H) and IR rating (when I can finally raise the cash) as I'll be considered a crusty in aviation terms. As for studying with people much older than you, I wouldn't worry about that. If you started a job tomorrow in any field you would be working with a whole range of ages and backgrounds. You can only learn from them (some of them anyway). I am in the oppsosite situation in so much as I'm worried about starting learning again with so many youngsters and making a complete prat of myself when it comes to certain subjects that I have not studied since school. You are young enough to make mistakes and still recover from them – and no doubt you will make plenty, life wouldn't be life without cocking it all up along the way. But you seem to have a pleasant attitude and manner, which won't go unnoticed with potential employers and have already shown a maturity many I know who are a lot older than you could learn from. Be prepared for a lot of knock backs along the way, but don't let them put you off achieving your dreams or goals. The one thing you can guarantee in life is that if you don't try something you will never succeed at it.
Good luck to you Rob
oh and, psssst, tell your parents the whole things costs a few thousand pounds more than it actually does so you can have a bit of cash left over for a bit of fun while on the ground.
Cheers
Sean