Jamie and other wannabes,
I've just had a conversation with my youngest brother about the pursuit of his ambition to fly for a career. I might add this was on internet chat since I am 7000 miles away from my siblings and parents, because I am based in the far east flying big shiny aircraft.
We discussed cost of living in the far east, upkeep of his PPL, airline sponsorship, guys I'm flying with and their particular path to the seat at the front, loans from banks secured against homes, and training institutions.
Let me explain, I am 37 in few weeks, I had a strong urge to follow this path which I admit is rewarding mentally (not financially) and challenging.
The current world climate has demoralized and frightened most professions and this industry is no exception.
I was lucky I went to a renowned flying school (in the UK) at the time there was an upturn and things were looking good, drawn in by marketing manager who showed me an empty filing cabinet of supposedly school graduates who were looking for jobs. I scored average 90% in ground studies and passed all flying skills tests first time, like a lot of my peers but were never recommended as promised if we attained certain grades and were "suitable". After we left the school we were left to our own devices, armed with CV's and new JAR/CAA licenses and egged on by some talks held by some pilots and managers from small carriers. Then 9/11 happened, many guys and girls had no jobs to go to (airline or self-sponsored) and on average it was years before we all found jobs ( there's still one or two not flying). Now we are all scattered around the globe and many I am in contact with are either working their nuts off, fatigued, but I hear a lot say they this is not how they expected things to be, some wish they never pursued this line of work.
In todays climate you have training schools selling the ideal time is now to be ready for the upturn (they are in the business to train you and most importantly for them; take your money) airlines making you pay for a/c and line training (pretend to be an airline pilot) and now dump you after 500 hours. We have a glut of inexperienced and experienced pilots around the world working in countries they wish they weren't in, confused by alien cultures and local customs and living with the associated friction.
I'm sorry if this all sounds negative but in order to pursue your passion, bags of patience is also required.
Enjoy time with your friends and family, enjoy your youth, enjoy GA flying and let's see how things pick up and in the meantime you will be gaining invaluable life experiences BUT keep the dream alive.