MrGiggles

True.Those degrees are also going to cost you 30-60k in tuition alone. What I was getting at is that a bachelor's alone used to set you apart, not anymore since the market is so saturated.

Demand increased significantly, and along with that, the government provided an almost endless supply of loans and grants. It's capitalism, supply and demand. I don't know of any easy solution. We are at the point now where a bachelor's will hardly pay for itself under most conditions, but at the same time you pretty much need it just to get an entry level position. You can make excellent money in trades, at the cost of your body. That said, things are a lot better in that regard than they used to be. Although sitting in an office chair isn't all that good for you either. And people wonder why millenials aren't having kids, aren't buying houses, and are generally pissed off... Gen Z has it even worse.

Generally speaking, there's usually a good reason why certain places have a high turnover. There has never been a line to work at Walmart or fast food joints. If nothing else, seems like getting unemployment checks made people start to realize how much they've been getting screwed. I'm glad these companies are finally upping the ante to get people in the door.

Can catch them on about anything, but jig/crawler and bottom bouncing are most popular. Swimbaits and crankbaits work too. I've never caught anything but drum and whites on a spoon in the summer. I'm hoping to get out a couple times this week.

Just curious about how you collected temp data back before we had these fancy graphs? They say that global warming is only like a third of a degree per year, hard to imagine it would cause such an increase in water temps, but I'm no scientist. Still very interesting data. Climate change is no big hoax, just seems that people don't seem to understand it is simply a trend over a long period, and that instead just causing warmer temperatures across the board, it causes more extreme swings in all types of inclement weather, drought, floods, heat waves, cold spells, etc.

It's not looking very good. About the only thing going for it is that it's reasonably accessible. But to earn a STEM BS, get a job that pays not so well, and then have to go back and get Master's just to get anywhere does not seem appealing. Plus you have the competition to get in. OTC requires all students to go through a placement skills (I forget what they call it) course before graduating, need to have an excellent resume and they schedule a mock interview before you can pass it.

I can't see your post, just says expand.

I put a hurting on the whites last night by the dam outlet. Couple smallies and a spot mixed in too. No walleyes though.

I do some side work already, usually getting $25-50 an hour. The boss doesn't care as long as his stuff gets priority. Up until recently my plan was to continue ratholing money away, buy a piece of property, and build a shop to get my own practice going. But with property and building costs skyrocketing like they are, who knows. The 120 acre farm next to me sold for just under 1 million, decent lots are bringing 10-30k. Not to continue the "woe is me" stuff, but I got dumped last week. That's what started this whole spiral of introspection, mostly as a distraction from the heartbreak, but the fact that my career needs work remains. It may end being the best thing that's ever happened to me, who knows how long I would've stuck around here. SBU has a program in wildlife conservation that I may look into. They're right down the road. Still don't know how serious I am because of the crappy pay and competition. Looking through the program, I already have at least half of the credits needed, really just need a couple chemistry classes and all of the bio stuff.

I'm sure that they still do their electrofishing surveys, but I don't know if they bring any up for spawning. Their 2019 survey says that 94% of walleyes that came up were >15", and 23% were >20". I don't know if you can access the full surveys to see how many large fish were found. Would be cool to see though. I caught more big fish from 2017-2019. 2019 was my best year with one 23" and one 24". I don't know that I caught any over 20 last year, but didn't fish as much because of Covid. 2019 was such a good year with the high water, everybody else stayed home and the fishing was excellent if you're able think outside the box a little. There was several days where I was the only guy out there, had to get my feet wet while dunking the boat from the parking lot, but it was worth it. I read somewhere that MDC is managing Stockton as a numbers lake, not for size. Bull is the place to go for big ones.

If you wanna stir up some drama, keep a limit of good sized bass and post it on the Stockton Facebook group. I don't know of anybody that C&R's walleye, me included. About the only time I turn a keeper loose is if I only catch one or two and don't feel like dealing with them. Of course, my skill level isn't causing a lot of damage, but there's a lot more guys out there fishing for them. I don't have any problem with people doing what they're legally allowed to.

Yeah. Seems like it can be fun, accessible, or pay well. Pick two.

Thanks, kind of puts things in perspective. I have always been the type to play it safe, probably why I'm as behind as I am. Buying a property of my own has been a goal of mine for a long time. Did a little more digging into those Fisheries Tech positions, looks like a bachelors in biology, wildlife conservation, zoology, etc. is required if you want a full time, salaried position with benefits. I could probably get in as a temp doing the grunt work here and there, but otherwise, not looking good. Even that salaried position pays less than I make now. Kind of disheartening. Would be a fun job, but I can't see how the schooling for it would be worthwhile.

I don't see why diesel vs. gas would make any difference in tire cost. They make gas duallies too. Diesels cost more to buy, but also hold that value better, that's more or less a wash. You're right about everything else though. Fuel is more or less a wash unless the diesel is hooked to something and pulling hard 90% of the time. That diesel may get 20% better fuel economy unloaded, but diesel usually costs at least that much more at the pump than gas.

First world problem, I think you mean. A fulfilling career, more like.

Starting to wonder if it would be worth it to get an Associate's in Biology or conservation science... I already have most of the elective and gen ed credits. Would probably be 3 semesters worth, most of which could be done online. Not sure if I would ever want to be on the science side of things, but it would definitely better the odds of getting in. Decisions, decisions.

I meant taking a fleet maintenance position somewhere else, not staying. I don't really want to stay here any longer than necessary, but won't quit until I have something else lined up.

From what I understand, the brood stock in Stockton come from Truman dam. They shock them, haul them up to Lost Valley in Warsaw, give them a belly massage, and hatch out the fry which are stocked all over the state. Whether or not that was always the case, I don't know. I believe a slot limit also only really works in lakes that have natural reproduction, of which Stockton has very little. The big fish aren't any more likely to pass on their genetics than the dinks. I have caught a couple that were hump backed, but none that appeared skinny. Even the small ones have pot bellies a lot of times. It does seem like for every one keeper there are 2-3 that are just a hair under 15".

That's kind of what my thoughts are on getting with in a state job. MDC and USACE both offer tuition reimbursement, probably after a certain period of time, and the degree you're after likely needs to be something relevant to moving up in that company. I wouldn't mind spinning wrenches for a few more years if it was means to an end. Frankly it doesn't bother me that much, I just don't want to do it for the rest of my life. If there was a job that is a little more appealing, even better. I was hoping if there was someone currently working at either of those places, they could give the ins and outs of the hiring process, ways to network with the people that do the hiring, the amount of competition, etc.

It's not just 3 years of time, but 3 years of tuition (~30k at least), and 3 years of living expenses. It would be a mortgage sized loan. 30 years of loan payments pretty much negate the extra salary. I have no question that it is a good choice. I just don't see how it would be feasible in my situation.

Thanks for the input. Of the small dent I made in that engineering degree, none were actually engineering related. The first two years are pretty much the basics to get you started, thermodynamics, physics, fluid power, all of the stuff that actually pertain to the discipline are in the last two years. If I remember correctly, I was only a handful of classes away from getting the AS in engineering, but that is an essentially useless degree that really only gets you acceptance into an engineering program, and the classes that I need are all prerequisite to each other, so it would take several semesters since they could only be taken one before the other.

I know a couple neighbors that drove for TDC. Both of them hated it, only did it for the money. There's an older retired guy that helps us part time, drove for years, spent the last few for Walmart, said he was pulling six figures, but with the tracking and monitoring on the trucks now, he would never go back, and he only stayed for as long as he did to pad his retirement. The way I understand OTR trucking, you've gotta put a few years in and jump around between companies before you really start making some money. I am too nervous and high strung to ever do it, just driving my car through the city stresses me out.

The crappie fishing on Pomme has been fantastic this year. Might be worth a try. I have hardly fished Stockton for crappie this year, hardly worth the time.

Don't be, all input is appreciated. I'd prefer to stay where I'm living now, especially if going for a temporary position which may not pan out. I have connections here that would allow an easy fall back if needed. I am not necessarily stuck here, but am not ready to throw caution into the wind and pack up for a temporary position. I have my own place at the farm, if I quit, would need to pay rent, but staying shouldn't be a big deal for a while anyway. I don't mind a commute up to an hour an hour or so, that would put locations like Clinton, Bolivar, Nevada, Camdenton, Hermitage area, Stockton, Warsaw, all on the table.

Yep. Have alerts set up too. Eminence is a long ways from me. The fisheries tech position in Branson is appealing, but again, too far to commute.