framer,
The routes to becoming a lawyer and pilot in the UK are ones I know very well, having done both. I am also married to a lawyer so have contemporary knowledge of the career I left behind. The routes I took into law and subsequently the airline industry are very common in Europe, though of course there are hundreds of people in each profession who have experienced more circuitous routes. Both professions have their stresses, but in my personal experience flying is both easier and more rewarding than the law. Like all career choices, certain professions suit certain personalities and skill sets. Some people persevere for too long, enduring a nightmare or chasing an unattainable dream.
I was merely making the added point that the legal profession is not as highly paid as Joe Public thinks and that many youngsters have been lured instead by a potentially quick and comparatively lucrative career in aviation. For each of those new joiners, many potentially excellent pilots fall by the wayside through bad luck. Equally, with P2F, there are some who join the profession who simply would not have passed rigorous selection. I hope that clarifies my point.