How hard is it to become a pilot?

I'm not sure whether I want to pursue law or aviation. I'm aware of the whole process for law school but I'm looking into a flight program at my current university. The program is FAA accredited and grants a Private Pilot license as well as a Commercial license, of course if you pass all the tests and courses. I love to travel and I'm fascinated by airplanes. However, I heard a lot of pilots don't make it to the airlines and their license turned out to be a waste of money. Is this true or is that only for certain situations?