Andrew,
Like any job, the entry level positions do not pay as well as the senior ones. This is just as much true of ATC as it is anything else. Check out the links below for more info on how pilots are paid.
As to being stuck at the regionals, this typically only happens to pilots that do not have college degrees, or somehow manage to get themselves in trouble while at the regionals. Now there are no guarantees of moving onto the majors, but it seems to happen for those that meet their eligibility requirements.
I can tell you this, that over the long haul, a typical airline pilot will make significantly more than a typical Air Traffic Controller.