Of course the new problem with being a career Regional Captain is the regional you choose may not last your whole career. ExpressJet, which has been the premier place to be, resembles a lame duck. Eagle, the paragon of stability, is getting cut loose from AMR, but still has AA's scope tying their hands. Without a separate operating cert, they can never fly any more 51+seat jets, even for other carriers. Air Wisconsin now hubs in PHL. I'm not sure if they even serve Wisconsin.

Moral of the story; 1) Be prepared to be a commuter your whole life, or uproot your family repeatedly. 2) Even if you make it to the top of the heap, you may well have to climb back up another heap. And another, And another. I flew with a CA who had been at seven airlines - an EA feeder, a Piedmont (pre-USAir) feeder, US Air, ACA, somebody else, US Air, again, then PSA. A Couple furloughs, a couple liquidations, and everytime you start your career all over, at the bottom again.