Sorry, no line of work nowadays requires food stamp wages after years of training to get to the point of employability. There is no excuse for a regional FO to make less than a starting wage of $45,000/year, and a Captain should never make less than 100k. If punk-ass douche bags that had mommy and daddy pay for their training and foot their rent bill continue to accept these substandard positions, and if the toothless, inept, short-sighted pilot unions don't draw a line in the sand, we have only ourselves to blame for not waking up and saying "enough."
This career is not worth it.