Pay for a job
I have a friend who was a frustrated CFI and bought a FO job in a turbine twin. Six months later he got hired at Frontier and five years after that he upgraded to captain.
Pay to play is a risk. Relying on the natural job market to produce a similar job opportunity during hard times is a bigger risk.
I can not see how pilots and employers will ever know, or care, a few years down the road how you got your job. A pilot should use every resource that is at their disposal. Others eagerly usilise contacts or other advantages and no one seems to criticize them.
If all you have is money then buy a job. Do not let others talk you out of using a valid opportunity.
Skyhigh