hi mate
I think that your response is as to the point as it can get and I completely agree with you. I am 32 and got my PPL when I was 21 when the aviation idustry in Ausralia was very quiet. I refused to take out a massive debt only to not be guaranteed a job at the end. I have worked as a pharmacy assistant to earn the money and have got myself almost to the 200hr CPL level and am studying the ATPL theory exams. I was at all times aware of the simple forces of supply and demand and have seen this in action in the aviation industry. In Australia we have been lucky as we had a massive mining boom which has led to huge pilot demand in the general aviation industry (GA), not airlines. These are usually small Charter companies who fly tourists around and workers to mine sites. The financial crisis has had some impact but nowhere near as much as elsewhere in the world. Again I don't want to sound harsh but some of these boys need to realise that the word AIRLINE should not be in their vacabulary until they have about 1500hrs experience flying light aircraft in the hot desert with poor pay and working conditions. There you will have to deal with the real pressures of aviation such as dealing with passengers throwing up over you, aircraft breaking down, bosses forcing you to fly overweight, spending long hours waiting in 45C heat. In very simple terms an airline company will want pilots who are the cream of the crop and who have experiences that extend well beyond sitting in a SIM looking at dials, that is the minimum expectation. At my age I am hopeful but understand that airline captain is possible but unlikely given my current experience. I am looking to instructing to start with and see where the road takes me. Unless you are in an airline training program to start with or are recruited from the military I think you cant bypass the general aviation industry for all that critical experience that nothing else will give you, and that means accepting the conditions that I have described.