Hi Northern Boy,
a very healthy point of view, I think. I am still "young" and I am keen to do some ultra long-haul for a few years in the mid-future (when my seat-lock is over in about 5 years), but for sure not until the bitter end.
Your concerns regarding delayed upgrade are understandable, but are - what I guess - not really necessary. For the time being NJE keeps on expanding and we need commanders all the time. It looks like you got the hours and the experience, so you can expect to do the upgrade-assessment within a year doing your initial line-check. Nothing is for sure, but the future still looks very bright for us! Good luck and welcome to the club!