I only know the situation in Europe. But here, many get the license by taking out a loan without any prospect of employment. They then have to fly in Asia for dodgy airlines for some years to get enough hours to be considered even for a low-cost airline such as Ryanair. Getting a job at a full-service carrier or even long-haul is next to impossible. These are usually people with a good high school degree and often even university degree. They just do it because they love flying.
There's a TV show called "Worst Place to be a Pilot" about how young people from Britain risk their lives in Southeast Asia just to get a job as a pilot one day. I don't think people take these kinds of risks for many other jobs.
Yeah, realistically, the best way to get a full service carrier pilot position is to go military, early, get your certs, training, time in there, and then make your way to civilian life. The big airlines tend to love military pilots.
Yes, really, the aviation industry is populated mostly by enthusiasts. I'm sure some bus drivers love driving, but bus driving isn't a job with high barriers to entry and enormously expensive training taken up by people who could have taken easier professional jobs on higher salaries instead.
Well if you love driving you can have just about any job and earn enough to buy and maintain a car. If you love flying you have a lot fewer career options that afford you to buy and maintain an aircraft.
Do they really? I mean, if you love driving, do you become a bus driver?
It is not like it is flying your cessna around the place.