There's two things that I believe are tagged with a Commercial pilots license & hence have kept this industry money wise low.
One is that the industry can't afford big bucks at any level other than the high end big bus drivers. Charter at say PA31 level can't afford 80K or so for a pilot as the charter rates to provide that wage would be cost prohibitive & there would be no work for anyone anyway. That 'tag' is un-fixable sadly
Two & this is debatable more a question really is the holder of a CPL & beyond considered a professional such as a Dr ?
You see to gain a CPL where you are available for hire & reward you don't need any formal education other than basic reading & writing skills & enuf money to pay for lessons etc. A Dr for Eg needs to have a higher education well before they get into that field & have the public's respect, pilots don't although I understand that a degree in aviation is now favorable. As an Eg I never finished secondary school bombing out in form 5 or year 11 did a trade & worked my way up to a 'bus' purely 'cause I wanted to fly,money never became the driving force as I was earning far more than I ever could during my way up in another industry (OIL).
The traditional path to the top is dieing.
Aviation as a career has changed, that's pretty obvious to us older ones but to the youngsters whom have the desire/dream to fly as we did all those years ago has nothing to compare it too where we older ones do as we have lived & currently live in the two worlds of an aviation career path.
I'm sure the dream to fly is still there in the hearts of the young but like it or not Cadetship is the way of the future.
Wmk2