PPRuNe Forums - Late entrants

Dear aviationatics,

After months of digging through several public aviation related fora I can hardly say my drastic decision to pursue my childhood dream has eased my mind. And that is after having a hard time concluding that as a 29 year old finance professional I wasn't where I wanted to be.

With regard to the lifetime invest I'm planning to make I'm assessing all the specific risks involved for what I would call 'late entrants'; 30+ year old graduates from a completely different field who managed to become professional pilots. Of course I would more than appreciate hearing also from those with the same specs aspiring to become one.

-What route did you choose? Modulair or integrated? A matter of keeping the job or getting there as quick as possible?
-On what basis did you choose your FTO? Job guarantee? Price? Reputation?
-How much were you looking to invest? And what did you finally put in until your first 'solid' paycheck?
-What is your highest education level? Graduated? Do you feel in matters one way or another?
-Did your age seem to matter when applying? Do you know (m)any pilots that started at your age?
-From your experiences/ideas, what does the ideal applicant look like in terms of age, FTO admitted, further education?

Thank you for your advice.

Good luck to you,
a not so old and not so grumpy old man