OK, here's the deal guys. A long time ago the Western carriers used to rule supreme. Then along came the Asian carriers who smashed them, followed by the ME carriers who smashed them, who are starting to be smashed by mainland Chinese carriers and Western carriers again. The Chinese have low costs and have money to burn, and the Western carriers are cashing in on low fuel bills and will ultimately benefit from "hub smashing" aircraft ( 787, 777X etc).
My point is....Cathay will retreat to some extent and become a niche player. I concede that may be happening quicker than some expected due poor fuel hedging etc. They need to maintain a high quality product and probably reduce in size. The current A & B scalers should ride it out as long as possible. New joiners should do everything possible to get some experience and get into a quality Western carrier ASAP.
The Chinese carriers pay big money but there is a HUGE amount of risk across the board. Don't go there unless you can afford to be on your arse in 6 months. You definitely need a backup plan to go there. I would recommend getting into a Western carrier ASAP and exploring the Chinese option on a leave without pay basis should that ever become available.