Just because management believes a 300 hour pilot is the same as a 1000 hour pilot doesn't make it true. Management is concerned with making a schedule, finding a crew for said schedule, and keeping said schedule while filling up that schedule. That's what they do. They don't care about who flies, just that the flight happens and they make money on it. However, the pilot should (and usually does care) who he/she flies with. It doesn't help that many of the graduates of those programs act superior because they've benefitted from a low-barrier job market. 5 years ago, they'd be instructing or not working. They were lucky to benefit from a hiring frenzy. In addition, many of us know several people who took any route they could to avoid "paying their dues" and in my case, several of those people would not have made it through the long way. It says a lot when the school you went to doesn't want to hire you as an instructor even though they need instructors. Again, this is the experiences I've had and aren't comprehensive. But just like any stereotype, if there wasn't some truth to it, it wouldn't be noticed by so many.