So read through with interest, as I sort of waiver around what I want.
When I was a kid... XX years ago
I wanted to be a commercial pilot. Nothing else would do. I applied for cadetships all over the place as I could not really afford even one lesson. I never made it; but I sometimes think things happen for a reason. I started to think at that stage it would be prudent to gain a backup in case - it wasn't as easy to get into flying as I thought during my naive teens.
So I went to University and got a degree. Some of the friends I had made along the way continued to plough through to try for the coveted ATPL... Out of 4 of my friends only one stills flies commercially. The others got bored and retrained as Management Consultants; Accountants... whatever took their fancy.
My friend who is still there loves it. And we are all individuals. A couple of my friends put their wings away for good...and as for me and the remaining friend... well I think we realised that flying for us is freedom to go anywhere we want when we want to, at a weekend.
I think that it is important to really know why you like to fly. Is it the Sunrises/Sunsets... maybe if you get to work for a big blue operator out of London's busiest (or even a redder one) the view of JFK at night out of your "office" window... or is it the sense of achievement hand planning; flying with a compass and stop watch and getting Cherbourg on the nose, after 30 minutes in the "fishbowl"... (Paté Baguettes are highly recommended in Cherbourg btw)
I'm in a management job totally unrelated to aviation... but am lucky that I can afford the odd few hours at the weekend to go where I want/when I want.