Saunj11, with respect, the OP asked for the "downsides" of the job.
If your profile is correct, you're 18 and in South Africa.
I do not know what the industry is like in SA but I am pretty familiar with what's happening in Europe, in particular, the UK and also fairly familiar with Australia.
It's easy to fall for the flying school spin, they want your business. £50,000-£80,000 is not an insignificant outlay, one that should be taken very seriously.
The question every one should ask before commencing flying training is:-
Can I afford to lose/pay back that amount if I don't get a well paying job?
John_Smith highlights what can happen when you go straight from school to the "destination", ie jets. Potentially, you're bored after a couple of years. Hence I do think I am very lucky in the path I took. (FI - bush pilot - surveillance pilot - regional turboprop - freight (more turboprop) and finally a jet.) However, as he has said, in the UK in particular, that route has all but closed (for the time being).