Lancer09

So work for free? Just playing devil's advocate here.

Fly Smallies arrived on Saturday. I'll go through the flies in the next day or so and start splitting them up for everyone. Still missing flies from Ryan, and I believe Coldwaterfishr who is no longer participating, but also if his friend is. Don't know if he has a profile on here.

Even if I don't agree with it, this mentality has been hammered into people my age since I started working in 2006 at 15, and even more so professionally in 2014 after graduate school. Particularly by people who came up in the business like Ness mentioned. Not a bad thing, and both sides have validity. I think the biggest problem is different generations not understanding each other and figuring out the best way to handle that.

All good. we are still within the normal time i've seen fly swaps take.

As of yesterday afternoon I've not got any more flies. Just wanted to make sure that Everyone knows. 1. Devin (Me) - Done 2. Ness - Received 3. Coldwater - Out? 4. Ham - Received 5.Billet - Received 6. Ryan - Mailed? 7. Flysmallie - Mailed? 8. Mrs. Billethead - Received 9. Coldwater's friend 10. Daryk - Received I think this is the most (ish) updated list. Please let me know if none of this looks correct.

I've received flies from ness. Well see what today's mail brings. That said... they will NOT be getting sent out this week. I am working out of a school for our spring break camp so I won't have a chance to sneak over to the post office.

Learn to work excel! Entirely in jest... but where I am now all of our "young" ones are here earlier, and stay later. From experience Loyalty to a company only earns you making less money than you could have made somewhere else. But seriously.. if work starts at 8. lets start at 8. When I get to work I get after it and get my stuff done while other people sit around and have the "water cooler talk time" that can take an hour or more. For a lot of us, especially in my age range it just comes down to I want to be paid for my time, effort and skill, that simple.

I didn't check the mail yesterday when I got home at 1015, but I'll get an updated list to everyone soon of who's flies I've received.

Having a college degree has definitely allowed me to obtain positions that I would not have been able to without it, though it doesn't always matter. I've never been paid more for additional education experience, and have been declined interviews for better paying jobs than I have now because it "over qualifies me" 3 years into employment with a small town outside of KC we hired a new maintenance supervisor with an associates degree as that was the required education level for the position. As the recreation supervisor I was required to have a bachelors. He was hired in at over 3.50 more an hour than I made because that's the "going rate for a supervisor in the metro." Each year that we got our 2% cost of living raise that number grew larger. They were unable to ever "get me to at least the same level" since we were the same level within the parks department and that's why I left. I was a 0 sum position meaning that I needed to bring in a profit that 100% off set the cost of my position and did so. His position provided no revenue for the city and was further supplemented by mine. Yes I have a "stable" job. I've been with the city of Springfield for 6 months now. The two supervisors that would be the next step up have been here for 10+ years with no plans to move up or on... And at the year mark, sorry but the 1.09 raise does not make it worth not continuing to keep options open.

I was MSU. I was able to escape with $0 in student debt between working my way through, having my graduate degree paid for with a GA position and a few other things. Work Remotely, yes it sounds nice. Truly, good luck. My Father in Law recently had a friend who owns a large construction company in town who wanted to talk about coming on to their team. When I actually spoke to him he essentially said "go to insurance estimating school, work for state farm for a couple years and then we can talk about bringing you on low level" Not the same thing, and at this point I don't need a 3 year commitment to hopefully get into your business. and start back lower again than where I am now working for the city, with no guarantee that would anything could or would work out. Really it comes down to you can have 0 skills and get a job/career that pays X, got get "the degree" work the entry level, and then try to move to something that pays 1.25X, and no real avenue to continue advancing in sight. For most people the juice isn't worth the squeeze, and I can't blame them. Twice in my life I have been overlooked for a promotion because "You would have been our top choice but this new person who applied is great, and we think that a new perspective would be beneficial to the company" I then train that person on the job as I'd been doing it in the absence of their predecessor only to see them leave within a year, and the organization chooses to move forward without filling that position again. It comes down to this. If professional companies want to keep skilled individuals around they need to create really training programs that teach the job, and teach it well how they want it to be done. Not all the corporate mumbo jumbo that everyone does. And then give time for the person to learn. They need to pay enough that when someone is learning a new job or career they aren't putting so much pressure on themselves that they crumble and have no other option that they end up not doing well and wash out therefore validating all of the poor training and pressure that was being put on them from above. Value your employees and they will value you as the employer.

Just read through this whole thing. From a perspective that is probably a little different than most here, no one posting in this is really wrong. As someone in their mid thirties now that found this board when I was in my low 20's my life is quite a bit different. I graduated college, graduated grad school, worked a career for 6 years with no real perspective to move up within my city or anything near without having 10 more years of experience. Did a total 180 and moved to a sales role at the start of 2020, not a great year for that. I was very good at it though and was number 24 in the country at my role with a nationwide life insurance agency. I barely cleared 36k that year. That's when the wife and I decided it was time to do something different. We traveled, worked odds and ends, paid our bills while working a hell of a lot less and still making the same money. Surprise kid comes, settle down in careers but of course can't find child care. Have to move back to MO. I worked in a restaurant for 16 months before taking a job with the city of Springfield again. I was 250+ applications in and had one interview. This was even for low paying jobs that just weren't necessarily in my field but were responsibility adjacent. I now make 3.00 more an hour than I did 5 years ago when I left the city of Pleasant Hill to try and make more money. The professional work life has not kept up with cost of living (we know this), and minimum wage will always continue to increase. What's the point of working harder and being more stressed to not make much more if you don't need to. Young staff are the same now as they were 10 years ago when I was working with a different city. Low paying jobs get low work employees. How we as managers and supervisors adjust to that is up to us. Especially as we see how the job market has changed. I known what I value and much of that is time home with my son and wife, or outdoors which is why people relished the work from home... Which is what BOTH my Father in Law and step dad have done for over the last 10 and 30 years respectively. Yet they will both question why our house isn't as clean as theirs, or why we grab lunch out more often than they do, or why there is always laundry to be done. These are ALL questions they have asked us when visiting our house. Yet I'm here working two jobs and about to pick up a third. Coming out of high school now, I would absolutely not go to college, but that was the only thing that we were taught to do. Go to college, get a job, pay your bills, take a vacation or two a year and have a hobby or two, except the money for those jobs is NOT there, and the positions to move up are still not available. As life has become more expensive individuals aren't retiring as early, and career tracks are not what they were. Managers complain about job hoppers to go find more money? Pay more. Period. I know that the money has to come from somewhere but it's hard for a business to complain about lack of qualified employees if they won't pay for them.

I've 7/10 tied. Got Flies from Ham, The billets and Daryk in so far. (and myself mostly) so we are about half way there.

Since I have some flies, and Mr. Cold bailed. Still send 10 and everyone will get 10. Yall... I had to take college algebra twice. I have excel for math in my life now, not splitting flies for a swap. I. Am. Not. That. Smart.

I'm in the same boat as @FlysmallieI think I have a pattern picked out. The wife leaves town Friday night and gets back Sunday morning. Won't have the toddler boy until Saturday morning. If I can avoid falling asleep at 830 on Friday night I might just be able to knock these out. Looking at doing a little skating caddis number.

it should work just fine!

@BilletHead I have you two's and Ham's flies in my possession.

@Ryan Miloshewski I didn't send you my number. I'm sorry. That said Mail really is the easiest way so that I have everyone's return address. Also please send your flies in a puncture proof container if possible, I know it's tougher than an envelope but I don't want anyone's flies getting mangled because they got crushed, or confiscated by USPS. I have a few fly cups to spare but it's not an unlimited supply.

I will be around ill shoot you a message with my number and I'll grab them from you.

@ness if it didn't run up against a "deadline" would it even be a fly swap?

Nope. Just a lack of reading comprehension, and posting while distracted at work.

I think I've sent an address to at least one person in each household, Coldwater - I'm including your friends in your message. I missed adding Daryk to the original message. So if you have nine flies ready to go. Send them out and I'll make sure that everything gets sorted properly. Sorry for any confusion. I'll probably be something in the Fat Albert / Amy's Ant camp. But I may switch it up and do some sort of caddis.

sold

Updated list is in my first post. Please tie the same number of flies of people that are in the swap. It makes separating out everyone's packages much easier in a month, yes you will get your own fly back. Buy a small box and keep them all together in there so you know all the contents from everyone, including yourself. Please have them in the mail by March 15. I'll make sure that once I have everyone in it only takes me a couple days to turn them all around. Also.. please send them in some sort of puncture proof container. Keep in mind you may tie something very small, someone else may tie something not.. small. Please make sure that box / cup / etc will hold approximately 10 flies. I don't want to be overly grumpy about rules but they will make everything run smoother and we all get flies back quicker.

well shoot boys. making me feel loved. Lets keep it easy for now. Trout flies that have some foam somewhere in em sounds good to me. hoppers, stoneflies, caddis, plenty of options. Have fun with it. How does everyone feel about having them in the mail to me by March 15, then I can get them out to everyone before the weather gets nice and we need to start fishing some of 'em.

Anyone fancy getting a little swap going? 8 People, send 8 flies and everyone gets the same package back (includes your own) trout flies that use foam? nymphs? Something that isn't overly arduous and could be knocked out relatively quickly? 1. Devin (Me) - Done 2. Ness - Received 3. Coldwater - Out? 4. Ham - Received 5.Billet - Received 6. Ryan - Mailed? 7. Flysmallie - Mailed? 8. Mrs. Billethead - Received 9. Coldwater's friend 10. Daryk - Received