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if you want to be a pilot its more lucrative long term to just get the hours asap. the idea of skipping the debt is alluring but realistically its going to be five years of wrenching before you start on the path of the cockpit. that's five years less at the high end of the pilot payscale. its a cool idea at first but it doesn't quite hold up to real scrutiny. don't be an airline a&p, the pay isn't great and you'll work nights/weekends for ten years.
otherwise I think its actually a better career than the cockpit in many ways even if the money will probably never be as good.