Icelandflyer
investing a lot of money in something that may not pay off immediately, Uni i feel is definately the most solid option.
Errrrrmmmmm ... surely some mistake? University
is '... investing a lot of money in something that may not pay off immediately ...'! If it also doesn't lead somewhere the lad wants to go and he therefore has to pay more to get into his preferred career it is certain to be a waste of money!
Certainly no-one in England should seriously consider going to university to then pay for flight training. The costs involved in university and three years of lost earnings mean that it will take a long time until the university pays off. At the same time he could be working and trying to make contacts or at least learn a littel about flight operations.
As for life-building skills, it has not taught you those that will get you a job! If you later go into management you might use what you gain from university, but that is a long way down the line, and can be undertaken in the next downturn. Having worked in a company where I was the only graduate (flight crew, directors and in the office) I did not think we suffered for it.