Hi Michael,
Although it might seem that starting your flying training as soon as possible is the quickest way to becoming a commercial pilot, this often isn't the case, especially if you plan on becoming a great commercial pilot.
The previous posters have mentioned (in one way or another!) the importance of acquiring some life experiences before starting your training. Think about professionals or people that you have met so far in your life who inspired confidence in their ability to do an excellent job, like a doctor or a teacher or a sports coach.
It wasn't so much their technical knowledge that made them a great doctor/teacher/sports coach, it was their ability to deal with and to communicate well with you and others in a whole range of situations, circumstances and challenges. These 'life skills' are gained by getting out and about and by getting involved in 'life' outside of school or educational institutions. Part time jobs, team sports, recreational activities, flying models, flying gliders (you can solo at 15), Air Cadets/Aust Air League, Scouts, voluntary community work, etc.
You may be aware of Crew Resource Management (CRM) and its importance to great pilots and to airlines. What makes up much of the skill base of CRM? The people and processing skills that you can only gain by getting out and about do!
Here is a definition of CRM from
CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Worth reading the whole document and saving/book marking for later reference.
"CRM DEFINED
6. CRM encompasses a wide range of knowledge, skills and attitudes including communications, situational awareness, problem solving, decision making, and teamwork. The elements which comprise CRM are not new but have been recognised in one form or another since aviation began, usually under more general headings such as ‘Airmanship’, ‘Captaincy’, ‘Crew Co-operation’, etc. CRM can therefore be defined as a management system which makes optimum use of all available resources - equipment, procedures and people - to promote safety and enhance the efficiency of flight operations.
7. CRM is concerned not so much with the technical knowledge and skills required to fly and operate an aircraft but rather with the cognitive and interpersonal skills needed to manage the flight within an organised aviation system.
In this context, cognitive skills are defined as the mental processes used for gaining and maintaining situational awareness, for solving problems and for taking decisions. Interpersonal skills are regarded as communications and a range of behavioural activities associated with teamwork. In aviation, as in other walks of life, these skill areas often overlap with each other, and they also overlap with the technical skills required in an aviation context. "
So, it might be well worthwhile to hold off on paying big money on formal flying training just yet. After getting out and about for another year or two you will be in a much better position to both choose the best training path/organisation for yourself and also to get the most value out of that training.
Good luck with it.
LD