In the states, when an airline is hiring a 'direct entry captain', there usually is a reason.
9/10 the place doing the hiring is a place with horrible work rules, labor relations, etc. Whatever you do, DO NOT go to GoJets.
The most recent exception to that was Mesaba, which was hiring street captains because of a massive expansion. Mesaba is a great place to work.
Quick upgrades come and go depending on the contracts the 'regional' airlines sign with their mainline partners.