The_Pharoah,
I think you need to find those old threads I talked about as the people involved have a lot in common with yourself.
I also think that you don't need to make any rash decisions. Sit on your hands for a while. The industry isn't going anywhere and I can tell you that your age isn't going to be a factor in gaining employment.
I note that you talk about making a decision "NOW" and after reading your last post I have to say that I disagree with the notion of doing it now. You have a good salary and this will assist you in funding your career when (not if) it starts. I'm not aware of your personal situation but I can't see why you can't begin your licence on the weekend or during annual leave breaks. Its time to take a step back and look at things objectively. An awful lot of people don't like their jobs and a good majority of them are making 35k per annum!
As we are dealing with a very big unknown (GFC) I think it could be a massive mistake to turn your back on a good paying job at this point in time. At the moment we don't
knowif
VB JQ or QF are going to hire any pilots in the next 10 years. More than likely they will. However these companies are fighting for survival right now so I think that there are simply too many unknowns to be trying to time things with regard to gaining entrance to airlines.
Much like the stock market/economy the aviation industry will rebound to what it was before if not better in some areas. Before the GFC people like yourself were getting jobs with regionals such as Qantaslink as their starting point (not bad in my opinion!). This was occurring not only due to growth but due also to the fact that less and less people were/are willing to enter an industry with consistently declining conditions (the reality). So in essence a similar situation will return when the storm has passed.
In the meantime there is nothing stopping you building on you knowlege, getting your licence, building a contact base and who knows maybe getting a bit of skydive work on the weekend. Get your foundations built to make some educated decisions when the sky is clearer. A bit like doing a holding pattern while a heavy shower is over the field. The difference in the end might be 6-12 months and thats not going to be a problem.
Drop me a line if you have any questions.
Thats my take on it. Good luck.