1. Military (if you can get it)
a. Academy if you have the grades but too late for you.
b. ROTC very good way to get in. Be sure the detachment at your school is all up to spec on pilot paperwork as you have a lot of hoops and a really good nco will give you a leg-up.
c. Start visiting the reserve units in your area looking for a pilot job. Lots of web advice on how that is done.
d. Helis in the army is also a legit option. Fun too (so they say).

2. ATP's flight school after earning a 4 year degree will be the least expensive and quickest option with a good reputation. If you want to build time instructing (what other choice do you have?) a school with contracts to asian carriers is the best as you will get loads of instructing time and learn how to instruct without the ability to converse.

3. Stay away from flying (the best choice).

The flying career will take all of your time and the payoff will be minimal until years into the profession. If you gain a fortune somehow and can deal with sub-par income while spending a large percentage of your earnings on the costs of the career then it will be easier. Not that I am unhappy or anything. I like going to work (yes it is a job) but if you want to get into flying to gain a respectable income then you need to reevaluate the job as a whole. That being said nearly everybody I work with is sick and infected with an addiction to aviation that became terminal and lead them into a career that returns little for such deep-seated passion.

Anyway my 2¢