rmidson
What planet are you on?!?
Yes, fundamentally, on a very basic level, airline travel will grow and people will always fly. But in the world today...
Worldwide, most legacy, read highcost, airlines are struggling, that includes parking aircraft and have voluntary redundancy packages/career breaks/unpaid leave deals on tables now. NJE are parking aircraft. Easy and the Ryans are only recruiting numpty's who either pay to be there or do one season and are told to leave, cost efficiency for both companies...
With regards to your questions:
Are you ready to start training?
Just don't. Not only does it show a complete lack of understanding of what is going on in the world and more importantly, your chosen industry, but simply you won't get a job. FACT!
Would a year in some other job to raise some extra cash help?
I'd make that at least 4 to 5 years, in other words, train for another career.
If you can get the money to train now will the airline recruiters be back in a years time desperate for new pilots because no one has been training, giving you a great chance?
Unbelievable question! But i'll answer it for you anyway
NO, FACT!
The problem is no one knows what's going to happen. The flying schools don't, the whingers on pprune don't, the politicians don't
Ahhh, those whingers on pprune - that would be those of us in the heart of the industry, i'm talking UK or course, who have friends/family with 1000's of hours jet/command time who are either living in the Middle-East now or still looking for work - those of us that know what our present employers plans are for the next summer or are actually involved in future training plans that do not include ab-initio recruitment for at least 3 years or are senior union members presently dealing with those pilot surplus agreements of either trying to avoid redundancies or deciding how many will go this winter...
Your posting 'screams' of basic tosh, that personally, I would expect any young, educated and airline/pilot interested adult who was going to consider professional pilot training, either now or in the next 2 years, to pick holes in and answer your questions the same way as I did.