I really don't see the difference between wroking for Ryanair to get up the ladder, and doing what many pilots used to do by working for freight carriers to climb the career ladder - bot have comparabel circumstances.
I have a close friend who, after doing her ATPL at Oxford and many hours instructing, now flys for Ryanair.
She is very career orientated and has a long way to go.
However, in just over 2 years with the airline she has accumulated more hours and experince than she would have at any other airline, she's never exceeded duty limitations, she earns a good salary commensurate with hours worked, she knew what to expect when she accepted the job, she has to work hard and gets few fringe benefits, 3 months ago she got a command on the B738 - more pay - better working conditions.
She now has enough experience to be accepted by "The worlds favourite airline" and has been successful in doing so.
It goes without saying that her working life will be full of challenges from now on, but she's willing to accept that, work hard and reap the benefits later.