I'll buck the trend on this board and argue in favor of a Legacy career.

I was a happy regional lifer until my no name, no brand, regional was bought and our assets were transferred to non union replacement pilots.

The problem you see is that a "regional" is acutally a "small jet lift provider" that has no marketing, tickets, or brand. The only virtue and distinction of the SJLP is a low bid, which is typically based on the lower expectations of its labor, specifically its' pilots.

In the absence of scope to protect a career, seniority is meaningless. A SJLP with a senior workforce is a SJLP about to be replaced by a newer, shiny, version of itself using pilots with little longevity and reduced labor expenses.

In the future, economics will push airlines towards aircraft with lower seat mile costs. These are going to be 100 seat and larger jets which are not, and will not, be outsourced. An MD88 has lower seat mile costs than a CRJ700/900. As soon as the route justifies the larger equipment it will be upgauged. As soon as there is a new dreamliner technology 100 to 150 seat jet, game over. (the majors are just avoiding investing in outdated technology and letting their contractors hold the bag, for now)

The regionals are a great place to get experience and most pilots will transition to a legacy, or LCC. But my bet is that economic forces are swinging hard against the niche filled by small jet lift providers.

I'm not intending any disrespect for SJLP pilots, they do the same flying. I'm just expressing my concern that Adam Smith's "invisible hand" is about to deal a slap.