however a university degree is the fundamental requirement for various jobs in the UK and that does not seem to equate to the £100,000 investment I mentioned earlier,
Yes, but a degree takes 4 years minimum an ATPL can take 12-18months, so thats 3 years of earning potential for the ATPLer. If an ATPLer gets hired straight away in a decent airline he could have paid off all his training costs and be earning a good take home just as our medic and lawyer are graduating and looking for a 20k a year job.
Anyway most of the negativity on pprune IS bourne out of experience not idle chit chat or fantasy, take a look at the "Ryanair Exodus Plan" thread on terms and conditions page and you will see that those who threw money at Ryanair are getting their come uppance now. (That is if you believe what the posters are saying because it's too negative).