Every now & then this subject/question pops up here amongst these pages & I guess for the very same core reason, curiosity & a desire to fly that big shinny jet that fly's overhead daily with you standing down there thinking I wish I was up there, mankind has been doing the same since he first looked up in the skies & observed the freedom that our feathered friends had:-).
The desire to do the same might have been subdued for a long time due all sorts of reasons.
Personally I didn't start 'till late due simply had no money, came from a poor-ish background & had only basic public school education. I/my family knew no one in the aviation game which is a disadvantage, as they say it's not what you know but whom you know especially in this mugs game:-)
Many years ago there where a lot more opportunities about if you put in the hard yards, nowadays I'd imagine there's less opportunities than there is letters in that word sadly:-(
As has been pointed out here it's pretty clear that GA is on a downward spiral getting less & less & more expensive to boot.
As has also been mentioned everyone has different personal circumstances. If you are tied down as in married/relationship owing $$$ & lets face it at mid 30's there a lot of us that have been stupid (getting tied down) then that situation will have a huge bearing on how you go about this if at all, that part we cannot offer any advice/experience on other than should you ever decide to get married again then get yr mates to take to you with a baseball bat, trust me the pain will be far less!:-).
$$$$$, <<<see this sign? That's everything, without it all the enthusiasm & gusto in the world won't be enuf to get thru even to the basic level of commercial aviation.
Have the funds behind you, that's the very first thing to secure. Might be nice to go have a look at a flash Merc sports car with the salesman pouring all sorts of lavish attention upon you 'til he finds out yr not flash with cash.
GA is a thinning out dirty business these days with Co's crawling over each other trying to make a meager living out of it & they just love someone at yr age with cash & enthusiasm, the two are soon separated at times sadly.
No point in blowing sunshine up someone's ass here one might as well learn the ugly side of all this first then if you do decide to give it a shot you shouldn't be left standing there saying ............I wish I had known...
All sounds neg I know but if I had painted a rosey future for someone at yr age in GA wanting to be an Airline driver one day then who'd be telling the biggest lies?
No one is saying don't give up on the dream just have back up plans in place as the light at the end of the GA tunnel is almost miniscule especially starting out late in life where some youngsters with funds behind them will sell their souls to be at the pointy end of a jet in an industry that's almost in crisis.
Ya gotta ask yourself...do you really want to be part of an industry that is the most unstable as it's even been since the "Wrong Bro's" ever left the ground !:-(
Good luck anyway for what it's worth
Wmk2