WWW,
As I said, our views can be made quite a lot by our own experiences, and so maybe I'm just trying to tell myself I've made the right decisions.
If you are determined to pay for the ATPL yourself, then you're probably correct that University is not the best route to take to achieve this. Personally I wouldn't shell out £40k + myself without a pretty certain job waiting for me at the end of it, but I know there are people out there who are willing to take that chance, and good luck to them.
Pete