CY80
Budget for a type rating because it is 80% certain that you will need to fund it. That is €30,000.
Too old? The industry has changed in the last 5 years. I was so positive when I started training. I was willing to knock on doors, 'network' in order to make contacts in the industry, work for any company to build hours, aiming to fly for an airline at some time in the future. I too, have a second career to fall back on, and I was confident that I could make it work.
But now that I've been in the industry for a few years, I am no longer naiive. This industry is run by nasty, arrogant, selfish people. They do not care who is the best man or woman for the job, they just want the cheapest person to sit on the seat. And that goes from the locos to the old-fashioned airlines, except the latter can choose the best cheap pilots rather than whoever can afford the training. Unfortunately, there is a perception that only youngsters are cheap, that older pilots are either more expensive to train or cost more to keep happy. Therefore, age does matter.