I'm in the same boat. I was almost to my instrument rating when I started working at the airport and realized I was already making $10,000 a year more than I would as a new regional airline pilot, and the company didn't expect me to pay for my own training as an agent.
It's worth nothing that the 1,500-hour rule wouldn't have prevented Colgan 3407 because both pilots had over 1,500 hours of experience... a lot of good it did them.
Going back on topic, Envoy has been stepping in lately when Republic has been unable to staff their flights. Republic is being hit the worst because they offer the worst quality of life for their pilots, and they're becoming a joke among the agents who have to deal with the results of their mismanagement. I wish AA would follow DL's example and sue them.