Put yourself in the shoes of an employer; are you going to hire the 19 year old with no proven life skills, or a 23 year old that has been to university and gotten a job afterwards to pay for (or at least contribute towards) their training? I know which I'd choose! As a passenger, who would you choose?
BHenderson,
This is not what the situation would be for me. There is no way i will be ready for airline employment by the time I am 19! I will have to work and do the training modular. It may take me until I am 25 to be ready for an airline job (or any flying job at that)... Also I would have paid for my training without assistance. I think that sounds like life experience to me, maybe not pleasant, but real. Doing a degree would only set me back 3/4 years and I could very well end up with a job at the same level as I could have got with just A levels. You hear of graduates working in local shops, supermarkets etc due to the recession. The degree therefore wouldn't have helped. On top of that I would have to pay off my uni debts, however low the interest rates are that could be around £20-25K.
I do however accept that in terms of security a degree is ideal and that Uni would be good fun, but I don't think that it would help me to get a flying job, it would simply be there just in case professional flying is unattainable. Lets face it airlines, don't care whether you have a degree, as long as you have done something with your life and you can show your passion for flying!