My advice is get yourself a dispatch license, FAA preferebly. This wont come cheap but it will still stand to you and make you more employable. The bottom line with Ops related work, learn as much as you can from your colleagues. Most if not all Ops related courses don't allow for company policies, dealing with grumpy crew and flight duty periods. They are usually more focused on flight planning and weather theory, which is only one part of working in airline Ops. Yes entry level salaries are generally poor, but there are lots of job opportunities out there so once you have the experience you'll find you can apply for more senior positions. Most airlines, if they have sense, will promote you as you prove yourself. They'll know that good Ops staff are a precious commodity and won't want to loose you to an airline that pays a few grand more.