The problem is 80K is not a lot of money anymore. Throw in a mortgage, wife, kids, car and your living paycheck to paycheck. I left my RJ gig making 85K to start at 50K, but after 2 yrs I will be making more this year than I did, and if I stayed, with their paycuts I would make 80K. There is nothing wrong with making a regional a career, have lots of friends that did, but driving to work, doing no more than 2 legs a day and not worring about someone else " outbidding " my flying is nice to have.