I feel your pain bro.

But its probably not fair to use that past performance as a future indication. 14 years means about 2000 hire. Since then there has only been 4 years of hiring in that 14 years until early this year. 10 years of stagnation and half a decade of furloughs. That 14 year block is likely not represenative of the next 14 year block for a new hire hired today.

I think if a new hire can pass up an opposite coast upgrade for a while and is willing to be a reserve or junior line holder for a while, DL is a pretty good choice for many with west coast ambitions given the trend we're seeing. While its subject to change, so are 100% of the alternatives.