Where did you get the 80k from? Many professional pilots they will never see 80k pa in their lifetimes. For others attaining 80k may well take 10 years or more of service and climbing up a pay scale. If you work for an operator that goes bust whilst you are climbing then you get to look forward to rejoining at the bottom of someone elses scale should you be successful in finding a new job. Ditto your seniority and any perks that came with that eg: getting holidays when you want them, command upgrades etc.
The reality is that the chances of getting a job in this industry are slim at best given the current economic climate. Even during the boom many were not up to standard and failed to gain employment as a pilot. Fewer still got into the legacy airlines where the payrates are generally higher.
I would suggest another field if your after the cash. I left accountancy to become a pilot. I had roughly 8 years industry experience, had previously worked in one of the Big 4 firms and was on a little shy of 80k pa. Six figure salaries were easily attainable if you took a job with one of your clients. Lots of perks - cars, free lunches and dinners on the company, tickets to corporate events and sports. A good skill to have in your repertoire that will set you up for any future business ventures BUT boring as hell!
Good luck.
PS:
PPJN should give you an indication of the pay rates across most of the UK's airlines.