WWW, the problem over here is that someone with an average job simply can't afford to fly as much as he/she wants to fly for a hobby. I heard that there are a lot of people here in Belgium who fly only <15hrs a year with their PPL.
To be honest, I'd love to be an engineer (which I'm studying), live in a southern country and fly as a hobby, but then I want to be sure I can afford it.
Maybe this is different in other European countries, because in Belgium we have one of the highest taxes in the world. I don't know.