I wouldn't call it 'paying your dues', because times are different now than they have been over the past 15 years, almost entirely for the better.

I'd call it 'getting the required experience'; first and foremost in a multi-engine airplane if you're coming from helicopters, secondly in a Part 121 operation.

But if getting that required experience before upgrading is nothing more than 'paying your dues', I guess anything short of DEC is a disappointment.

We all want to move up and move on, but we should all want to do it safely.