Do not listen to rants from either side of this argument. Ryaniar employ some strange practices which can disadvantage you compared to other airlines, and you need to be aware of them before you commit to going that route. It is true that, on some contracts, the pay is reasonable (but not outstanding on any contract), but the lack of pay in the first year or so is a major hurdle, and so is the intimidatory attitude of the company to its workers (and customers - but that's another argument!).
Consider Ryanair, by all means, but make sure you have as many facts (not rumours) to hand as possible when you compare it with the competition! Most of the relevent facts are available within this thread, and those linked to in Terms and Endearments.
Scroggs