Realize you can get into aviation and do all sorts of fun stuff without being an airline pilot, including aerobatics, mountain flying, back-country flying, camping, fishing trips, general sightseeing and exploring, charity stuff, flight instruction, advanced and other types of instruction like tailwheel, aerobatics, etc, and all sorts of other stuff. Do you want a job where you have to fly in a straight line at FL250 where you are forced to fly a specific route over and over for minimal pay, or do you want a job that is aviation related where you can afford to have said plane and enjoy flying? Lots of people automatically think owning a plane means they have to have a $600,000 bonanza or something, but tons of fun can be had with a 150hp super-cub, or a homebuilt Vans, at basically a fraction of the cost. The thing is you don't need to be an airline pilot to be in aviation, to be a pilot, or to fly. You can do all this stuff on the side as your passion, for fun.
Do you like engineering? Do you like solving complex problems and finding solutions? My uncle was an engineer for MD (later Boeing) and got sent all around the world on various projects and I know others that do the same. Although if you are an airline pilot, you are "guaranteed" to fly, but those hot ocean-crossing jobs are few and far between, and pilots are literally fighting between themselves to get any major airline job. Think long and hard about this. An advanced engineering degree is also a prerequisite most of the time for any test-pilot function, something to maybe keep in mind if you go the engineering route.