Flying Mechanic,
I am going to have to disagree with the statement that buying a rating is frowned upon in the corporate aviation sector. Maybe some, but certainly not all.
I know of two UK operators that refuse to pay for ratings. One of them, a small size jet operator south of the M25 was recruiting for rated pilots (low hours were accepted). They would not entertain an application unless you went and got a rating beforehand.
And we should all know of the other well known one that does not even pay for type ratings for existing pilots to upgrade to another jet.
Galaxy flyer, and as for doing the GA route, well I've been doing that for the past 4 years and have single turbine PIC time. All the King Air operators in the UK, Europe and Africa (not tried Asia yet) want you to have a rating beforehand too. The USA is different with a totally different mindset and loads of GA progression possibilities.
So really, in some instances I would say that buying the right type may well be worth it; as some of my colleagues have found out to their surprise and delight!
mo