"MotoRinzler" I will rather PM you on these details if you are interested with answers to some of the questions you ask, as I don't wish to put this onto a public forum.
From my experience, I have not met many who said they would recommend this career for their children, I would not discourage my children, but I would not encourage it either.
Although I am not a big fan of integrated courses like CTC / Oxford, as I think they "over-charge" training costs, however if coming attached with a guaranteed job, it's one of the better options to choose. I did not go that way myself.
I believe all your questions have been answered regarding reasons "age" is an issue, and what you need to understand, HR are overall looking for special treats in candidates, there will be positives and negatives with all, but example trough course like CTC / Oxford, the airlines are actively shaping the pilots in their own image, like they want them to be. And to be fair, they have had great success with this so far, either we agree or disagree in this.
Regarding starting salaries for pilots, I believe a few you need to do some more research, so you can determine the reality of the pay after tax.