Reading around has somewhat scared me off from being a career pilot. It sounds like the pay sucks until you've been employed for years, and even then, it's a gamble whether or not the airline you're with will stay around - and it's hard if not impossible to start over from the bottom rung of another airline. I like having a roof over my head and knowing I'm probably going to still be employed this time next year.

I was so enthusastic about becoming a pilot, though. That more than anything motivated me to get the ball rolling on college. Then I find out it's better to NOT get a degree in aviation... When should I get flight training then? Post-college? During college? I wanted to get it through college because I could actually get financial aid that way - the flight school by me doesn't with with any fin. aid.

So now I'm wondering if I should just keep this passion as a hobby. But how expensive is it as a hobby? The jobs I can think of that would pay enough to support that hobby are things I'd rather chop my arm off than do, like doctor, lawyer, marketing something-or-other, etc. Even if I had one of those jobs, I'd spend the whole timing wishing the hours away to my next day off when I could take the airplane out.

I've considered talking with an academic advisor at college, but I don't know how knowledgeable they'd be of the aviation industry.

I'm hoping the negatives I'm hearing are a bit blown out of proportion or don't occur as often as it would seem. But I'm also afraid that's not the case...
It's a shame... I care more about flying than I ever did computer graphics, programming, 3d modelling.