I'm not sure Buggington, at 17, needs to be informed about things in quite the, erm, 'impassioned' way in which some are replying. There are a lot of home truths in replies on this thread, mine included, but steady on guys! Most of the pro pilots on this thread will have had dreams and plans just like Buggington's, minus the insider knowledge...again, just like Buggington.
It is a very tough climate at the minute, I joined the industry just before the economic meltdown in 2008 and when I started flying training the landscape was VERY different.
Ultimately everyone has to make their own decision after proper research, risk assessment and a healthy dose of soul-searching!
My advice would, humbly, be - if you haven't already, get some flying experience. I had a PPL before being fortunate enough to get on a tagged scheme. I also had a uni degree (like many in the general work force now) which is useful as a backup and puts your CV slightly higher up the pile.
I'm not sure what the status of the BA FPP scheme is at the minute but it seems to be the way that BA want to recruit their low-hour pilots at the moment. If you can get some kind of intent from an employer before you train (if that's what you do) then I think that's the ideal situation.
As frustrating as it is to delay what you want to do (fly!) most of the successful applicants on my course (not BA) and, I suspect, most of those successful in getting a spot on the BA FPP programme/other tagged schemes will be similar, were in their 20s, had a few years of work experience, had been to university and had flying experience of some sort.
All these things round you as a person/potential employee, give you more options in case your ambitions change (or the world goes against you) and make you much more competitive if you do aim for 'sponsored' schemes in the future. Subjectively, it SEEMED that those who trained where I did and had come straight from school to training were those least likely to go straight in to flying jobs (even when flying jobs were more plentiful) upon graduation.
I know uni funding has changed recently but I think there is a bit of misunderstanding among some - as I understand it, it can still be financed by an income-contingent loan i.e. you only pay back when you earn enough to pay back?
Lastly - a few of my friends who started airline flying at a similar time to myself are pondering or actively researching a change of career. Various reasons - mostly revolving around the job not being what they expected or the (often) lack of stability, clear career progression, etc. Not the majority by any stretch but a decent handful. The positives still far outweigh the negatives for me at the minute but I do ponder the future and what the job will be in years to come...
I think it's very much about contingency planning and having backup/escape plans...a bit like flying!
Anyway, good luck with your musings
