Clanger
I think you have made a clanger over your cost/prices appraisal:
This business has always been dificult to get into and the first problem for all is raising the funding to get going.
I have been flying since 1983 and I can tell you it was damn expensive then too. I begged stole and borrowed, sold everything I had and started my PPL. 1/2 way though I ran out of money and had to beg the bank to let me finish!
I then spent 3 years "Hangar Ratting." Cleaning aircraft, fueling,some maintanance even but got to know the industry and earned virtually nothing.
The next few years were spent doing anything I could to pay for flying. I've done all of Flinty's jobs and a few a wouldn't care to mention all in the name of flying. I had no home of my own and lived off beer and sandwiches from the pub I was working in!
The cost of a licence at Oxford or Perth, (the only fulltime way) was £45k then. So don't give me all this "it was so much cheaper" nonsense.
And consider what we were all earning then? A fraction of todays wages! In those days the only way to get a bank loan was to have a 30% deposit, show consideral disposable income and convice the bank manager you didn't need his money!
Somehow, though sheer persistance I guess I got there but it took me a long time. In my professional capacity I have flown single cessnas and twins, turboprops and light jets. All for next to nothing. I can honestly say that I only started earning reasonable money 4 years ago. I never actually paid for a type rating and never will. (not directly anyway). I have though, spent an awful lot of money and made enormous sacrifices to be part of this game.
I never saw it as licence to 737 to command in 3 years.
So please stop wailing that you find it hard to find 50k and then life is a bitch cos your only option is to pay another 20k for your jet rating.
Life is a bitch for all of us in this chosen career. It always has been and always will. But how about getting your head around the possiblity of using that flying licence to fly rather than just another ryanair or easy sheep?