I was a Jan hire, and things are great for me. I was awarded PDX right out of the gate, I sat one bid reserve, and was used every day but one, in a 35-day bid. My 2nd bid was a composite line, I had 2 days of reserve, and the rest has been built up. I already have about 60 people under me and I'm sure it will get better through the year.
I almost preferred to go with Skywest, since my main criteria was getting to live in base. When I got hired, I assumed a commute from MFR or GEG would be inevitable with QX. Now the SKW PDX Bro base is closed, and people at QX are getting whatever base they choose, except ANC. This could all change in the next bid. If you want to live in the PNW and get to do some pretty fun flying for a regional, go for it. If you are thinking about trying to commute from the east coast, I say find a carrier closer to home, it's not worth it in this climate of pilot hiring. Look at the worst possible commuting/basing situation and be ready to deal with it if that's what you get. No one has a crystal ball and there are no guarantees in this industry. QX has been a good deal for me, because I live in PDX and I knew that it would probably only be a 6-month wait to get based here. Things turned around for the better a little sooner than expected, so it worked out. By the time you get to interview and get through training, things could be different.
One thing is for sure, if you plan on living in/near SEA/PDX/BOI/GEG/MFR or ANC - opportunity will appear sooner or later. Worst case - what would the commute look like from any of those bases?