You can also be a microlight instructor (many of whom run successful businesses around that), commercial balloon pilot, or a gliding instructor. Or, do an aero-eng degree and go into my old profession of Flight Test Engineer.
You won't be an airline pilot without a class 1 - but there are numerous other ways in which you can be an aviation professional, a fair number of them flying roles.
Having spent all my career in aviation so far, many of those jobs with significant flying components, I've never felt any strong urge to be an airline pilot. Maybe the money would be nice, but there's far more available in life than being a shift worker who'll lose their job at the first failed medical.
G