stumping up most the cash in advanced
Never ever pay large sums of cash up front for flight training.
That being said, if you do have a stable job at the moment, perhaps look at taking long service/unpaid leave for 6-12 months to do your training. Then at least you can go back to work and start repaying the bills if you don't find a flying gig at the end of it.
Alternatively, learn to fly part time on the weekends, might save you selling your house.
A bit of a summary of where I am: I'm 22, started learning when I was 16. I now have a commercial license, instrument rating and instructor rating.
I also have a university degree in HR and am currently working as a contractor in the IT industry. My thinking is I'd rather work and be reasonably well paid for 6 months or so, then maybe travel around the country and call into operators looking for a job. If that doesn't yield anything, I can return to IT.
Where possible, avoid leaving work completely and getting large loans, you'll regret it in the long run.