I think you have to go into this with your eyes open, and think about what is really important to you. The helicopter industry, at least in this country, is probably as unreliable as people are telling you. But from what I gather, f/w isn't much better...the fallout from 9/11 is still affecting the industry more than anyone would like. Will things change? My crystal ball is as unreliable as anyone else's.
Flying for fun, especially if you have a well paid job, is probably the sensible option. But you say you always wanted to fly for a living. OK, do you want to risk ending up broke and with no sensible means of support? On the other hand, do you want to risk being old, reasonably well-off, but looking back and saying what someone once said were the two saddest words in the English language: "If only..." When I was considering a CPL(H) an old guy in his 70s who'd been around (everything I mention, he's done) told me to go for it: "You never regret the things in life you HAVE done, only those you haven't".
You may have another option. Start flying, don't borrow any money, make sure you can get back into whatever job/career you have, or keep doing it parttime, getting qualifications slowly. That way, you may not be burning all your boats. You may also be able to do something in aviation, f/w or rotary, part time, perhaps combining the best of both worlds...OK, I'm biased on that one.
There are a lot of possibilities if you keep your eyes open. But...er...getting rich probably isn't one of them!
