I'm starting my degree in aeronautical engineering in september then going into pilot training after....you have to have somthing to fall back on, your ATPL is alot of rubbish and 100% worthless if somthing stops you from being a commercial pilot....medical for example. If you left school and went straight into flying and was a pilot for so long andthen lost your job for some unforseen reason and couldn't fly again what would you do? With the amount of people going to university these you can't find a decsent replacement job with grades obtained from school.....