Thanks ever so much for the replies.
I have spoken to s freiend of mine currently flying 777's for Emirates and he's advised me, because of my age, to do something else.
I knew it could be a factor. It may be just too much of a gamble with my redundancy payout to risk.
I still intend to do my PPL in the USA and I'll make a decision based on my ability then as to whether I continue to persue the dream.