I can totally sympathise with your situation and as someone said near the start of this thread there aren't many people who have positive stories to tell in this forum and I am also guilty of this. People who have gone through training and whom are now flying for airlines don't post here apart from saying thanks to everyone for their help so you probably have a clouded view on what you have to look forward to as a pilot.
I have friends who fought for 5+ years to get their first job. They admittedly were looking for work just after 9/11 but they are all now flying for airlines because they stuck with it. I was VERY lucky to get that email i was waiting for after just over a year of constant searching, applying and networking. I'v been flying professionally now for almost 18 months and I can honestly say hand on heart that i feel priveleged to be doing what i'm doing and as a youngster when i started to have passengers more than double my age giving me a level of respect I have never experienced this adds to my affirmation that i have done the right thing and persued something i DREAMED of doing!
I can understand in the current climate you may be tempted to follow another career path and i'm not going to sit here and tell you what to do but what i will say is at the very LEAST get yourself instructing part time alongside your new job. Take any flying you can get and build your hours because if this was a dream to you a few years back it will still be a dream when the industry picks up again and in that situation you have kept yourself current and built your hours and can be in there with the best of them to fight for that job that will get you flying for a living. And for the love of god don't listen to these pilots who say it doesnt really pay the bills...tell me of a job where you get the office we get and you're paid £90,000+ a year (capt) to do something that was once a hobby and a dream, when the average wage in the uk is around £22,000 maybe a bit more!
Don't ditch the idea completely is all i'm saying and keep your hand in if you are going to do another job for the time being.