My friend asked me to talk to her niece about becoming a pilot (Helicopter) and the first thing I asked the niece was,"when an aeroplane or helicopter passes by overhead, do you look up?" She looked at me in complete confusion and said,"no". My reply was,"well, that is your first clue!" My point is that you will seldom see a pilot not look up to check what it is, even if it is just a quick look and that indicates excitement and passion for flying. We just cannot help but look up, it is the natural thing. Money is not the motivator at all!
You have to have the passion for it...period! If you forsake the military, then you are giving yourself a tough path to follow financially. But,if ,like me, you had no money to start, then the military is the poor man's leg up in life. You can use it wisely and equip yourself with the necessary skills to pursue that dream! I miss my military time. It was a time full of comraderie and pride and it focuses your mind somewhat. People these days avoid potential failure or hardship, but as a helicopter pilot you need to be prepared for it as it is not a path for the faint hearted. And as you live in Australia, let me tell you that there is no excuse not to be a pilot. However, you may have to choose a path that is initially,not of your liking. But the end is what you have to look at!
Just so you know, I was trained in the Zimbabwean military and was the only "white" guy on my course and i received a good base from them. I went on to fly in the tourist industry and then moved to Canada and have flown in almost every province and territory as well as the Caribbean. So, if I, a poor white guy from Africa can do it, then there is no reason for you to fail. You just have to the chuztpah to go for it and ignore all the naysayers. And you know what, if you fail, so what. You tried and that is more than so many people do these days, don't be scared of failure. After all, success is getting up one more time than you fell down. Good luck with your career choice!!
Here is a link to show you that failure is not the end. You will be surpised at how much one can overcome!
Famous Failures – Abraham Lincoln, Michael Jordan and More