Hi Louis,
Contributors here seem to have forgotten what your original post was all about and have gone off on another "the pay's great / the pay's crap" argument.
I guess I'm not really in a position to comment on that, as I'm not yet an ATCO. I'm just going through the application procedure and have my second stage tests / interview soon.
I'm just writing to say that I'm pushing 30 now and have spent the last 10 years in a career I hate. You are very lucky if you have always known what you want to do. It's a cliche, but follow your dream mate. Work hard and there's no reason why in just a few short years, you won't be doing exactly what you've always wanted. I guess I'm lucky enough to still be in with a chance of changing my job. ATC is where I want to be. To me it looks like a fantastic, rewarding career and compared to an awful lot of people, the pay is pretty good. I suppose it depends what circles you mix in, but I'd be earning more than most of my friends if I become an ATCO and would also have a far more interesting job. Most people I know hate their jobs and readily admit that basically what they do for a living is talk bull!!!!!. From my experience many commercial jobs in management and sales are like this. Don't forget that many of ATCOs on PPRuNe have probably been in ATC since leaving school. They haven't lived in the real world!
From what I've read on PPRuNe, it seems that ATCOs may well complain about their pay, but ask most of them what they'd rather be doing and they can't think of anything and the answer certainly isn't "selling commodities". Money is important of course, but I'm well paid for what I do now and it doesn't make me happy because I hate the job. Do what you want to do and worry about the pay when you get there.
There's lots of info about ATC. Get books from your library or do a search on Amazon and keep surfing the web. I've found plenty of useful stuff. Also, if you have the money and the inclination, learn to fly. Doesn't have to be fixed wing or helicopters (ridiculously expensive), try gliding, microlighting or ballooning, all a lot cheaper. A lot of the subjects you study for flying will be relevant to ATC. I think at your age, there's an RAF sponsored scheme called something like the Air Training Corps. This doesn't mean you're going to end up in the RAF, but I believe they will teach you to fly gliders and get you involved in all things aero related. A bit like airborne Scouts I guess.
Anything else you want help or advice with, let me know. I guess I feel like I would like to help as much as possible as if I'd had better help and advice when I was your age, I might not have spent the last 10 years doing something I hate! Good luck Louis.