Bamboo..... You and your ilk were "hired" (loose term - very loose term), not because you were the best candidate but because you are the cheapest. Pilots who spent many, many years acquiring the skills and knowledge to achieve a standard (once) deemed required to pilot a jet transport are overlooked by bean counters hiring those without the years of credibility but offering a "I'll do it for less, hell, I'll even pay to do it" ideology.
Your credentials come from a check book. The airmen you undercut have credentials from a log book.
Yeah kid - there's a BIG difference.
Don't go on about "in this economic climate" crap. If you are your kind had the kahoonas to do the "hard yards" and "earn" a job instead of taking the cheap and nasty path then standards and remuneration would reflect the true value of a professional airman. Two words P2F guys will never, ever attain but which others spend a life time seeking because it's something not found in a bank account or accountant's spreadsheet despite your wishes it were. It's an INTEGRITY thing.
So "hired"? No. A fool and his money easily parted? Definitely.