Cinman
Back to your question. I started flying late in life as you are,however I dont feel people are being overly negative, more so realistic.
1) The current climate within the industry is one of ressession- Fact
2) There are not many jobs about for low airtime pilots -Fact (and that includes flying instruction, which is poorly paid especially for a guy with a mortgage and kids!)
3) The older you are with low hours the harder it is to get a job -Fact
4) Schools need to survive and will overly inflate the job market in order to get fee paying students through the door.
The point of Prune is to vent opinions on the industry and try and help people come to reasoned decisions through knowledge.
Having done 3 PPL exams in 2 months part time and comparing it to ATPL shows a lack of understanding as to the reality of the scope and depth of the ATPL. Its like comparing the old CSE to a Degree!
You also seem to have a complete lack of understanding as to the method and requirements of obtaining the ATPL. It is not a matter of just buying the books and self study, there is a legal requirement for some serveral hundred hours of approved groundschool study. Hence the difference in your prices.
Having decided with 6.3 hours that this is your career path I would suggest you do some research and pay heed to some of these 'elitists' that have far more experience than you, they may save you alot of money and heartache.