Hi MJ has it spot on............
Yes its a blow , however you will get as much if not more out of life if you get into an aviation career that you can carry out and make your own and thoroughly enjoy - its not just about money etc , it's more beneficial to have a job you enjoy doing.
Having a PPL and flying when you want , where you want and how much you want can be a great plus , and superb escape when you want to " get out of the rat race "
You would be surprised at the number of folk who fly commercial stuff get paid a decent wage and then find aspects they don't agree with or dislike in some respect ! If you want to be constantly doing check rides and proficiency checks that's what being commercial or ATPL seems to be about............ remember Commercial flying is all about flying for the customer to provide a service .
The commercial industry is tangled up with far to much b******t and red tape , which sometimes can ruin the aspirations of the job , just get out in the sky with a PPL and enjoy ....
You never know you could end up a multi millionaire from any future career and have your own fleet of aircraft - but I haven't been that lucky !!
Fate is a funny old thing ...