Listen to WWW. I wish I had. Qualified nearly 2 years ago, without a sniff of a job. Don't rush into it, as you'll be renewing IR before you know it. I could have had a bonfire with the money I've spent on a FANTASY. The last thing to recover after a recession is jobs. I doubt we've bottomed out economically yet. Think long and hard. Not trying to be negative, just REALISTIC. (My friends at Easyjet tell me apart from core group of pilots, contract pilots are being brought in to up the numbers in busy periods, then dumped. HEARSAY let me point out. Not very appealing or encouraging for guys like me /us.) Honestly, good luck if you venture down this path. But please take seriously the comments of WWW and people in my position.
(No insults please. Just adding my 2 cents worth!)