Ahh a degree, in my position I can only dream of such a thing from a institution, my grades were so bad in school and in college that I was told by my teachers I would have no chance and I've had a 5-long year rut, catch 22 situation of bills and debts vs. anything I actually want to do... but the plan she is a'forming.
About a year ago my uncle bought a small private airfield and a Cessna 172 with his savings after passing his PPL and invited me for a ride in his aircraft... I was amazed, it was my first time in an aircraft and it was one of the most exciting things I'd done in my life and ever since then I've been craving a time when I could start learning to fly, he's said to me "get your license done and we'll talk", easier said than done as getting your PPL in the UK can cost up to around £7,500, but where there is a will, there is a way.
Recently I got to fly in a 747 and CRJ-200 and I was probably the only person in the aircraft excited to be there, I loved everything about it, I envied the pilots so much knowing they got to fly these beautiful and sophisticated machines, it only solidified my resolve to do my research and find out everything I could about what goes into becoming an airline pilot, what you needed, what the job role was all about, how pilots started out, how they progressed, what type of machines I could expect to fly if I pursued a career as a pilot and most important of all, what steps to take to become a pilot, it was a little shocking at first, but as they say, nothing worth having ever came easy.
I have vendor IT certifications, A-levels and a GNVQ in IT related subjects and although my mathematics and science skills are dismal for now, I'm planning my rise from the ashes... I realize I could be in a far worse position than I am now, but most pilot sponsorship schemes need 5 A-C GCSE's with preferred emphasis on math/science based subjects and 2 A-Levels with emphasis on Mathematics and Physics... there's a long climb to the top indeed, but this is plan B, it's best to cover all the bases and formulate strategies to meet your goals
Moving back in with mom and dad at 21 isn't something I'd like to have done, but it's necessary, it eliminates most of my outstanding financial constraints and frees up some time and money to re-spec my GCSE's and A-Levels for science and engineering based subjects.
I'm signing up for the OU engineering degree as soon as applications are open again, having that degree in process can only be a good thing on my applications and CV's and even when my GCSE and A-level respec is complete, it pays to have a subject ongoing that will continue to test my abilities.
Plan A has me self-funding my new career, as it stands I'm on £6000 a year part-time which is in no way good enough, and it's annoyed me for quite a while that I'm not using my vendor certifications (Microsoft MCP qualifications, useless as saturated as the IT market is in the UK, job applications typically get 240 responses), I plan to get on an apprenticeship with either BT or Virgin, I meet their minimum requirements for both and my other qualifications may put me ahead of other candidates... with the money I earn from the apprenticeship, £12,000 the first year, £18,000 each year afterwards, I should be able to afford to self-fund a modular course at BCFT, after that it will be a struggle to get rated on aircrafts but with the financial backing I'll have from my day-job, I need only keep my eyes open and my teeth sharpened to pounce on opportunities as they come.
Plan B sees me re-specifying my academic qualifications to meet the minimum requirements set out by most cadet sponsorship schemes, I will keep applying to any and all opportunities as they come and I will be saving up the £20,000 needed as front money by most airlines, but I won't be holding my breath as thousands of applicants apply for these, and I would stand no chance against people with degree's and previous flight training, all the same you can only keep taking steps that would make you more attractive to airlines and keep rolling the dice, and I plan to keep rolling it until my number is up.