As to the age thing - never give up. I was talking to a pilot at the airport the other day as we were waiting for our hotel shuttles to arrive. He told me he was in the middle of the pack as far as age/seniority goes in his class last year. When I asked his age, he told me... 58.
Do not let your age deter you. There are a LOT of people quite older than you guys just starting out in the 121 arena.