I say go for it. I did something similar. Went to Atp when I was 21, took out a loan, and worked at the degree online after flight school. It really sucked paying the loan back, but I'm now at a major in my early 30's and have no student loan or flight school debt. It really comes down to discipline. When I upgraded at my last job I was paying $2K a month extra to the student loan instead of buying toys. Getting the hour building started sooner put me years ahead of someone who pays as they go. Being hired 5 years sooner will give you 5 more years at airline captain pay at the end of your career (if that's the route you end up going).