There is never going to be a shortage for good, well paying pilot jobs. The supply/demand curve is not in your favor now.

Age is not a show stopper, but currency is. At the majors right now there are 7000-12000 applications in the stack depending on who you ask and you're not even in the mix yet. Those guys are qual'ed and current and don't have a 10 year break in flying that would make an HR type wonder if you really want to be there.

I don't blame anyone for not wanting to work for $18k a year at a regional. Since you're not willing to make that kind of sacrifice I'd strongly suggest looking at coorporate/civil aviation jobs. Some can be a bit easier to break in to and although they won't top out as high as a widebody captain, you won't have to make the financial and family time sacrifices to get there. I agree that the cost/benefit equation doesn't make sense for you to chase a job at a major at your age.

Regardless which path you choose, networking is key!