I'm 27, so please don't take this as me being condescending:

I appreciate your youthful exuberance, but give it 2-3 years and get back to us; the reality of this career has a way of *****-slapping even the most "glass half full" types in this industry. The fastest way to be disappointed & jaded is to have an expectation for career progression X and have the actual outcome be career progression Y.

You think I'm underestimating demand over the next decade, and I think you're greatly overestimating it - and we've both probably seen the same retirement projections. Only time will tell which one is right.

Seriously, good luck - the regional industry needs a few more pilots with a positive outlook (and I say that as an alum of AWAC).