Indeed, I worked four jobs simultaneously at one point to pay for my flying plus being awarded the Amy Johnson scholarship which paid for about 10% of it; it took five years working in the industry to earn it back but I didn't owe anyone anything nor did I ever expect any handouts. I'd already worked and paid my own way through uni once to get a degree and then a career path good enough to pay for the flying. This was a time and place where you needed 700 hours for a CPL and wait nearly two years then beat many others for a place on a CPL course by which time only the most motivated were still standing.
Then a certain event we can't mention led to a number of Australian pilots coming over to compete for the jobs making it even harder.
Hardly a rich kid, only knew one of our "gang" whose daddy bought her a brand new Archer to build her hours in, then she got married and gave it all up...the rest of us who were working our butts off in second and third jobs to pay for it are still flying 25 years later.