"Paying your dues," I believe, is just too relative a term to be thrown around like it is on this board...requirements, experiences, etc...all change from generation to generation.

Years ago in the hey-day of Airline flying, you had to survive a long military career (and at times, getting shot at) to fly for the likes of Pan Am, United, American, Eastern...Those old-timers would say they paid their dues, while the current mainline generation Pilot just "waltzed" into a career after 7 years of commuter/regional flying.

It's all relative, folks.