Parents advice and flying
Sky scratcher,
I'm now 40 so have lived a bit and the main piece of advice I would like to give you is never ever follow a career or a degree because your parents want you to do it - been there - got the T shirt!! As a teenager I had three main interests aviation, sound engineering/Hi-fi and photography (well four if you count girls!) I planned to go for BA's then Cadet pilot scheme at 18 but my parents encouraged me to go to University as I was the first member of my family to ever be in a position to go. I didn't want to defer applying to BA at 18 but somehow was swayed so decided I wanted to do photography but then again was convinced by parents to do something 'more sensible' so I did Commerce.
My delay in not applying to BA while pursuing a course I had little interest in cost me very dearly because when I Graduated in 1991 having reached final stage interview with them they canned the scheme due to the Gulf War. Having a Commerce Degree then meant applying for relevant jobs and eventually I was offered a job with an insurance company. Spent three years wondering how the heck my life had gone so wrong and how come I was stuck in an office on a business park in Peterborough! Crap job, crap life. I eventually joined BA but in an IT related role and spent several years there leading major projects but still really just wanted to fly and eventually (again against my parents advice!!) bailed out took redundancy and paid my own training at OATS before becoming a turboprop F/O aged 38.
Financially not just going for BA at 18 has cost me a great deal. If I'd got in I'd be a six figure salaried Captain flying for probably the best airline in the world, as it is I have had to pay my own training and earn a modest 5 figure salary. On the other hand I utterly love the job and am far far happier than I have ever been at any time in my working life by a million miles. Every day is challenging, exhilerating and enjoyable. Most flights are short so we get to do the most enjoyable bits (take off and landing) many times a day which ironically is one of the advantages of flying the smaller less glamorous stuff and being at the lower end of the food chain. It is true that if you love flying and are a pilot you'll never work again.
I discovered that money did not buy me happiness and whilst I miss the 5 star hotels and holidays I once took (my holiday this year will be camping in Devon!), the TVR and all the other trappings you don't really need any of it and it certainly isn't worth spending 160 hours a month stuck in an office for it!
That said given your age and the state of the industry I wouldn't start training commercially yet. Timing in this industry is critical to maximising your chances of success. Go and get a degree or job you will enjoy, do a PPL or join the UAS and review the situation in a couple of years. Alternatively do join the military - much more exciting than civilian flying and better paid nowadays.
Most of all - never ever follow a career you're not interested in. I've got 2 days off this week from flying and I'm spending one of them at Biggin Hill watching aeroplanes go round and round...
We're all mad you see...
Desk-pilot