Now that these qualifications that have been around now for a number of years, it would be very interesting to see just how many actually end up in the airlines or for that matter, end up flying for a living at all.. Struggling to repay a huge debt to boot, a freshly qualified candidate with all of the bells and whistles (MCIR and ATPL) has only got a couple of hundred hours experience ie., unemployable with most insurance requirements, and unless lucky enough to get the highly competitive direct entry offerings into the airlines, will be forced to find ways to build up hours to get to the minimum required.. In the meantime, there are more starry eyed freshly squeezed candidates out there doing the same. My advice to anyone considering a future in professional flying, is yes get a uni degree in something you would like to do other than aviation just in case. Airline and other prospective employers look at the evidence of achieving the tertiary qualifications and you have something to fall back on... again, just in case.