Matthew,
It is good to have a solid plan in place for the future, stick to it, and you should be fine. I wish you every success in the future!
Piltdown Man,
Yes, there are many people out there who start flying training without a degree, funds or doing the proper research. I will agree that not doing the proper research before flight training will make you a blind fool! But not all of these people are idiots. Everyone's situation is different, and we all make our own decisions. For example, I like quite a few other people left after A-Levels and didn't go on to do a degree. It was a personal choice (I really didn't know what to do with my life back then) but I have always wanted to be a pilot and have now stuck to this goal. I have been in full time employment ever since leaving college which was about three years ago now, and am saving for my pilot training. Like Matthew, I realise there is no rush, I can save money and not be in debt, and complete small chunks of training. And another thing to think about is, while getting a degree is a good thing to fall back on, you have to take into account that with tuition fees piling up (thanks to our new government) most students will come out from uni with a huge debt, and no guarantee of a job. I am not slating Matthew's choice at all, all I will say is plan carefully and budget for the costs ahead.
Happy Flying
J