Flamin Squirrel, when the US is good, it's very good, when it's bad it's disastrous. At the moment there's a big threat to many of the larger airlines with the threat of furlough hanging over many pilots.
You'll need a degree to get a sniff at the majors along with a lot of hours.
Being an FO for a regional will mean very little pay.
Generally in the US, low houred guys do not start on jets.