My two cents...
Been there, done that as well. Got placed extremely quickly a few years ago, straight into perm position with really cool airline. Moved since then. Debt paid off, nice car, bought my first home.
BUT
The truth will be what you want to hear, of course it will. As a wannabe you won't believe CapitanDuckhead because it is not what you want to hear. You will find then comments like tech_log and voilą, meets your expectations and will become reality for you.
BUT
The truth, from outside, is really between good and evil. It is between comments like CapitanDuckhead and tech_log. Yes, many guys were, are and will be placed. Yes a good number will pursue good careers in aviation. But many guys just don't. I know cases. People bankrupted because they did not "meet the standard". People jobless after three-four years, finally finding their first aviation job well far from home.
Oh, but they did not meet the standard! Well, they were not stupid people. Not all of them. I have seen brilliant and smart people fall into this category, and I have seen people that would only fly solo around Hamilton to avoid getting lost get their A320 position. Yes, some of them it was down to attitude towards the whole thing, but some did not. If CTC do not like you, then you are... well you know the words.
CTC is far from what you might think, and the whole process is far more complex than what you would even imagine. They want your money and you are treated as a little customer. Yes, there is a reward at the end for some of the cadets, still not very pleasant experience. Been there, done that.
Conditions afterwards are tough as well nowadays. When I joined, mostly perm positions and no TR (or reduced price). Nowadays... oh well. But that does not get better if you train somewhere else.
That's the reality, and let me say something else. Wannabes, do not discard "bitter" comments just because you think the guys is trolling you or he was just an idiot and he could not fly. Some of them might be, but many are not. It is extremely difficult to hear bad things from recently graduated cadets in public, because CTC are really good at playing games. They will not ever tell you "you are not good enough, bye bye". They will always make you believe "maybe one day", so that you hold on to that and that way they avoid bad press. Yes, I know guys like this. Many years and still dreaming with that e-mail with an invite for an interview. So, take very seriously and investigate further any comments of unhappy cadets, especially if you are thinking about mortgages/getting your parents involved in order to do this.
Good luck to you all