"wannabe Mike", stop poking your chest out young man!!!
Ha Ha! I like it Lovezzin.
That's right I graduated at 21 with a BSc and it then took me exactly 3 years to complete my Ph. D.
I agree with you Lovezzin- for more main stream engineering disciplines then a Ph. D. can seem like a bit of waste of time and may set you back in climbing the "greasy pole". My apologies if I came across a little strong- I just wanted to point out that it's not always the case that a research degree only benefits you later in life.
It will almost undoubtly set you you back (Keeley) in your plans to become a pilot in the long term and I agree with what Boeing MEL has said. If I had started pilot training after my first degree then I would have finished just before the downturn and at the crest of the recruitment of low houred pilots.
Once you're in with the Ph. D. for all intents and purposes you are in, and as Boeing MEL and others have correctly pointed out you could well miss the boat.
It's not a decision to be taken lightly- it could well set you back in your pilot ambitions, or it could provide you with a well paid job with which to fund your training. Nobody knows what the future holds and it is therefore almost impossible to predict when times for the recruitment of low houred fATPL holders will be good again.
All the best.