TheDrop
Yes, I think you're pretty much spot-on. The next six to twelve months are probably a good time to start training. That doesn't mean that there will be a job waiting for you when you graduate, but you should hit the upward slope of the economic cycle quite nicely! Of course, there is - and maybe still will be - a big backlog to clear, but unless you're in the queue you won't get what you're after!
Predicting the future is fraught with difficulties and traps. In deciding who to listen to, you're probably best ignoring the extremes of opinion. Balpa's (remember the start of this thread...?) opinion was, I think, extremely optimistic - as are probably those of most FTOs' marketing departments! You'll see others that are extremely pessimistic. The truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle - and only hindsight will prove who was right.....