Are you at UNI? You can always fly out of ALO or something, you're not restricted to just DSM. Yes, those planes are even smaller, but for a good reason: they never fill. If you check around a little bit ahead of time, you won't have any issues. I'd be more worried about getting out of California, personally.

Then again, one advantage of DSM: other hubs. I'm not sure of all of DSM's destinations, but I'm sure if you can't get to MSP, you can probably try for DTW, CVG, or ATL and not have any problems. Just try to get a good idea of which flights are good and when, and write it down. If you can't get to MSP, be ready to try for other hubs.