As a young A&P mechanic, I had plenty of opportunity to get on the road towards an ATP license. I spent a few years as a Flight Mechanic (mostly freight) and while I was sleeping, reading, watching a movie... Those pilots were strapped into their seats monitoring aircraft systems and communicating on the radio for 8 or 9 hrs straight only taking the odd break to hit the lav and maybe stretch out a bit. It takes probable decade(s) of this or getting paid peanuts getting bounced around in a commuter (after probably 5 or 6 layoff's) before you might get lucky enough to get on with a company that pays well enough to make what they do worth it and be secure enough to get your retirement in before you get layed off & every time you get layed off you start at the bottom of the pay scale again with another carrier. Nahh I was already in the business and am lucky to be with a well paying and very secure cargo company as an A&P.
The glory days of aviation are long gone, to be successful in aviation you need to be constantly prepared to take advantage of an opportunity, this means alot of moving around. It is hell on relationships, just about all of the successful pilots that I know have been married several times as Aviation Related Divorce Syndrome runs rampant.