*sigh* I knew this would happen. The more info one volunteers, the more questions one gets. At the end of the day, you guys make your own decisions and do what you think is best for you.
Since I'm taking a break from my CPL studies, I'm prepared to chew the fat with you all abit more.
@dream747, see
Air HongKong for the answer to your question. Yes, they would. They have a pilot base in Singapore too.
@Macarto, let me try to find a way to answer you diplomatically.
1. If you cannot afford to go overseas for University, then I suppose waiting until you're 26 yo to apply for SQ's cadet program is a good option for you. What if you don't get it?
2. If you are able to afford going overseas for Uni (daddy is paying), why not do both a degree and CPL ME/IR at the same time in an aviation course like Embry-Riddle or WA Aviation College? There's other too. Go google it. This way, you will be living your dream a few years earlier than your Singaporean peers.
3. Again with the Singapore carriers! Do not be fixated. Are there Ang Mohs flying for SQ or not? Did they all go through SQ's cadet program? There are FAA, JAA, other ICAO licence holders flying for SQ, so how do they do it? There's provisions for licence conversions, my friend. Look up CAAS website for the info.
4. You are far off the mark on what I am trying to tell you. Since I don't know how I can make it any clearer and you are years away from taking the first step, you can take the 2 years in Army to figure it out. I'm not being facetious, really trying to say you have options. Hopefully, you'll be able to figure it out for yourself. If you surf the net and some of the great threads here in pprune, and see what pilots in other countries have to do to get into the airlines, you'll know what I mean. I wish someone had bothered to share what I have just done so with me just before I went to Uni.
5. Since you don't even know the difference between a CPL and ATPL, I would back off on the argumentative tone and be a little more humble. Its your prerogative to disagree, but at least acquire more knowledge first. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.