[SteveC]

Well my standard reply is that I don't think taking out huge loans for flight training is a good idea. Much better to take an extra year or three and keep your ramp job and pay for your training as you go.

Have you ever calculated what the interest cost is on those loans? I can't think of any reason to waste all that extra money and put myself into such a precarious position. Precarious position meaning having a big loan debt hanging over my head with minimal income - any little glitch at all like an auto accident, hurricane, mugging, whatever, and your financial well-being is down the sewer.

Again, I don't think that there is any reason to rush. Listen to the guys around here that are twice (or three times) as old as you and you will hear them say that the journey is, in many many ways, more fun than the end goal. Lots of stories about flying freight, or jumpers, or traffic, or instructing, being more fun than doing FL350 reading a newspaper every day.

Take your time, enjoy the journey, learn more, be a more well-rounded pilot. Do some other jobs along the way to help pay your way, and as a bonus become a more well-rounded individual with lots of different life experiences to bring to the table. All of these are things that will help you throughout life, in aviation or in any other field. Don't shortchange yourself in a mad rush to get someplace, only to realize that you missed too many good things along the way.