I'm from Spain, and over there is almost impossible to get to 1500h unless you pay for it. Other than than that you can only apply to Ryanair and company, and if you get lucky, then you gotta pay your type rating, some 25k+.
Not saying is super easy here, but there are a lot of operators out there hiring with CPL and 250h. Salary is crap, but it is what it is, and this sacrifice will open doors in the future. Think Alaska operators, Caravan Operatos, pipeline patrol, and of course the CFI route. So it should take around 18 months to get to 1500h, once I'm hired somewhere. I'll cross my fingers
And yes, as soon as is doable, money/time wise, I'll start with my degree, and hopefully they'll give some credits for my ratings.
