On the flip side, I understand the frustration contained in 50 50's post. The industry is full of dodgy operators and wankers; it's a minefield. I was lucky, I got the first flying job I applied for. It was a government job and starting, first-year, base salary was $50k. The next one paid $160k, and it's not an airline. This didn't happen by accident, however, I chose carefully. I had offers to work for operators who wanted me to pay for endorsements and work for free. Others who I decided against working for within seconds of speaking to the chief pilot. Regardless, I was always prepared to fly casually for fun and work at other jobs if I had to; it was always a better option than getting flogged and struggling in a flying job I didn't enjoy.
My bolding, perhaps the industry wouldn't be in the mess it's in if more people made these choices.