a commercial pilot license in the us is really a license to learn. while some companies may hire you with same, it tends to be seen as the license of someone with little time (<1500 hours) or someone who hasn't bothered to get an ATP.
As far as money is concerned..it depends on timing. at the start of the ninties there were commercial pilots with instructor ratings paying students just so that they could get flight time. things are better now. unless you have an instructor's license the chances of you getting flight time are few and far between. starting pay in a commuter is about $17k and that's with a minimum of 1200 hours of which 200 are multi.
generally a license is only as good as the flight time and real experience you have to go with it.