a degree takes 4 years minimum
That's a sweeping statement isn't it? I know people that have spent only one year at university and come out with a degree.
in the UK you spend £9,000 a year on tuition, plus £6,000 for living
Not all degrees cost £9,000 a year yet surely? In the UK, does the government no longer pick up some or all of the tab for tuition based on your background? I never paid anything for tuition and neither did my sister, and she has a PhD now.
There's nothing to say a pilot has to train at an integrated school that charges £100k, so these comparisons to what a degree might cost you are pointless. I bet even the cheapest modular route would be more expensive than an average degree.
I have done plenty of research on various careers and none seem to require the level of investment for potentially such little return.
Well money isn't everything but perhaps wannabes are under the impression that they will be well paid in the future, they may be asking around and discovering some pilots are on five figure salaries. Maybe they don't realise that once those big earners retire, those salaries will never likely be seen in aviation again. I suspect many though will be happy earning £30k plus. They are not concerned with their potential earnings or thinking in any great detail about the future, they just wanna fly the heavy metal!
I forget what this thread was about now.