nodakfan17

Thanks for weighing in on the case study and correcting my perception of this requirement. On the Subject of Millennial Entitlement ... This is not a "Why can't they see how special I am?" type of situation, but I understand how my initial post read without proper context. My wife is currently working on a one-year contract. She took a pay cut to leave her former employer of 5 years and accept her current position, which aligned better with her career interests. When we learned about the pregnancy (it was a surprise), there was a 50/50 shot that her contract would not be renewed. With fatherhood on the Horizon, my initial reaction was to find a higher-paying job so that I could replace part of her income, if necessary. When I say that I'm currently leaving money on the table, I'm not suggesting that my employer treats me unfairly (quite the contrary, actually). I value a lot of intangibles like a short commute, a great relationship with my manager, and a flexible work schedule. I know that I could earn more with a different employer, but that might come at the expense of these other benefits. However, when faced with a budget crunch, wouldn't most parents put their children ahead of their own comfort? I'm not even a true Millennial. I don't have student loans, I buy my morning coffee at the gas station, and I only have an iPhone 4 (gasp). On the Actual Case Study ... I'm not offended by the case study requirement (just surprised). They emailed me a proprietary dataset and asked me to provide some preliminary analysis. I'm sure the company just intended to use it as an evaluation tool, but had they retained it, it would have been a conflict of interest. In retrospect, I could have suggested they have me analyze data from a public source to help alleviate the conflict. Boasting 6 years of experience might seem laughable to some posters, but my skill set has come a long way in that short time. In addition to the acumen I've picked up at the office, I've also built up my software proficiencies during my non-working evenings and weekends. 2010 was a bad time to enter the job market. Without much relevant work experience, I could see why an employer would want to test out a prospective employee. I willingly jumped through a lot of hoops to land that first job. A year later, I was able to leverage that experience into a much better opportunity with my current employer (following a traditional interview, sans case study). On the Exciting Conclusion ... In between the phone screen and the first interview, I learned that my wife's contract was likely to be renewed (this time for 2 years). She encouraged me to stay with my current employer where she knows I'm content. I decided to proceed with the interview in case it turned out to be a great opportunity. I had already prepared for it and put in for PTO. As it turned out, it was just OK. I liked the hiring managers just fine, but with the extra pay no longer of great concern, I felt more comfortable with the status quo. I've been surrounded by good people for 5 years (which I'm told is rare). I had nearly made up my mind before the interview concluded, but the homework assignment sealed the deal. When the recruiter called to offer me a second interview, I politely declined and cited our family situation. She was very understanding and encouraged me to contact her directly if I was interested in another posting down the road. As for the case study, I guess I'll just assume that's a given next time.

Is it normal to complete some type of task / case study as part of an interview process? When I began interviewing for my first professional job in 2010, I willingly jumped through all sorts of hoops. Now, I'm fairly well established in my field. After spending my rookie year with a competitor, I've been with my current employer for 5 years. It has been (and still is) a reasonably good situation. Recently, after learning that my wife and I are expecting our first child, I applied for a job with another competitor out of concern that I may be currently leaving some money on the table. I completed a phone screen and an in-person interview; however, when the recruiter called to arrange a second interview, she asked me to complete a case study prior to the meeting. I was a little taken aback by this request. For one, I will not complete work for this company while still drawing a salary from my current employer. That's an integrity issue. And two, why should I have to try out? I'm just testing free agency. My resume is pretty competitive. They could have tested my chops during the first interview, but they stuck with all softball questions. If you've continued reading to this point and gotten past my sense of Millennial entitlement, kudos. Upon reflection, my wife and I decided that it would be best to stay with my current employer. With parenthood looming, we valued stability over a little extra cushion in our budget. I politely declined the second interview and cited this reason so that I could keep the door open for the future. Honestly, the biggest reason why I decided to stay put was because of my current supervisor. He's a great person / manager and I want to continue to develop under his guidance. A few other factors came in to play, but the "tryout" was definitely a con.

The Fang / Whiffer Bobblehead giveaway that was scheduled for yesterday was postponed to next Saturday, April 16th. That was for everyone's benefit ... I'm sure you knew that already, Turbo.

1996 was my best sports year. I was 11. My baseball team won our town's little league championship. Having been a little too young to appreciate the original Dream Team, I was infatuated with Dream Team II at the Atlanta Olympics (and still have the Stockton USA jersey to prove it). Plus, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI (albeit in early 1997).

The University of North Dakota won the Frozen Four last night - first title since 2000, 8th overall. For a myriad of reasons, they needed this one badly. Since winning their last title in 2000, they have made 8 trips to the Frozen Four and come home empty each time. Meanwhile, North Dakota State University has won 5 consecutive national championships in football (I-AA). UND risked loosing prospective students and donors to their in-state rival because everyone loves a winner. They've also gone through an extremely divisive NCAA-mandated nickname change that started with the retirement of the "Fighting Sioux" moniker in 2012 and the adoption of the new "Fighting Hawks" mascot in 2016. In between, they played simply as "North Dakota." Sioux die. Hawks fly. What a way to put that behind them, though I suspect hurt feelings will continue to linger.

ESPN bumped the College Hockey National Championship game from ESPN to ESPN 2 last night in favor of Warriors / Grizzlies. Grant it, North Dakota vs. Quinnipiac is not a rating bonanza, but I'm sure they would have kept it on the flagship network had Denver and Boston College not been knocked out in the semi-finals. It was just a very ESPN-y thing to do. Good on them for making the replay available for free online, though.

I've aired this grievance before with ESPN and the college football national championship game, but now I've learned that the NCAA tournament championship game is going to be on TBS (and not CBS). I grew up without cable TV and always looked forward to watching marquee sporting events on broadcast TV (still do). I miss it. Oh well, I guess you get what you pay for

Thanks to all for the input. We wound up buying Dew Deck tickets for Saturday, April 23rd - $49, all-inclusive (w/ 2 drink tickets). Prior to the game, we are going to try "Escape Milwaukee," which is a themed puzzle room similar to the ones that have been featured on The Big Bang Theory and Brooklyn Nine-Nine this season. Has anyone been there? Time permitting, we're looking to mix in a brewery tour. Any favorites? Most of our friends live in either Green Bay, Madison, or Chicago (Milwaukee is the central location for us) so we are relying on a lot of outside input to plan the weekend.

^ Billy Donlon at Wright State was let go too. Linc Darner has raised the bar in the Horizon League.

So the Admirals are moving from the Bradley Center back to the old MECCA?

Regarding the UW-Milwaukee situation ... I've gathered from certain basketball message boards and the JS Online comments section that AD Amanda Braun is not well-liked by Panther fans. I think part of that may be due to the state budget situation and new cost of attendance measures, but they certainly aren't the only program facing these challenges. UW-Milwaukee's athletics budget is 5th in the Horizon League (out of 10 teams). I also gather (from third-hand sources) that she leans introvert and has not made herself as accessible to players, boosters, and the media as fans would like to see. Also, I don't wish Rob Jeter any ill will, but if you were to exclude his first season in which he went 22-9 and made the NCAA tournament with Bruce Pearl's players, he is 162-161 over the last 10 years. The timing might be right for a new AD / HC.

Some have already been released so I imagine not very long. I've read on other message boards that the Badgers will play at 5:50 pm on Friday, but I don't have an official source for that. Some times and channels are slowly populating on the CBS Sports website, but that is not one of them. Edit: UWGB is playing on Friday at 6:20 pm on TBS (same time as the Badgers are rumored to be playing).

I take more issue with Gossage's nerd comment. I'm an analytic who has a steady gig with a large bank. It is not uncommon for large banks (or even smaller community banks) to hire former college or professional athletes as "relationship managers" and give them neat titles like "Senior Vice President - Business Development." Their primary responsibility is to help grow the bank's existing client base by leveraging their existing contacts or tagging along on important sales calls. In some cases, they know very little about the subject at hand (I hate to generalize, some are a quick study). They could be taking a job from another professional man or woman who has spent years in college and / or the banking profession. Many do not last long, but some become tremendous assets to their employer. Point being - there are often multiple good ways to go about things. If ballplayers can be good bankers, why can't analytics be good baseball execs? Professional athletes love to try to imitate other professions (acting, singing, owning a restaurant or car dealership, etc), but get offended when other individuals (many of whom have prepared extensively) get executive or broadcasting jobs in pro sports? Give me a break.

Not a stupid question - I'm not positive either, but my money is on cap. Less than a month out from live baseball in Appleton!

Well, we're not talking about Duke or Kansas here. UCF or someone in that sphere would still be a better opportunity and a bigger paycheck. I imagine he would be as good as anyone else recruiting at a school at that level. He's a guy with 1 year of D1 head coaching experience. Barring a Sweet 16 run (or better), he's not going anywhere this off-season. I think Linc Darner stays at UWGB for at least one more season. He'll graduate two decent players in Jordan Fouse and Carrington Love, but will otherwise return 6 seniors and 4 juniors. However, the quick move from D-II to a high-major program is not unprecedented. Kim Anderson won a D-II title at Central Missouri in 2014 and then took the head job at Missouri.

It sounds like UW-Milwaukee is not pursuing an invite to one of the third-tier post-season tournaments, even though they had a 20-win season. I wonder if they are getting ready to fire AD Amanda Braun and / or Rob Jeter? I know these third-tier tournaments are not the prize for most mid-major programs, but you would think that extra (televised) basketball is good for the program. JS Online Link

I have a feeling he is gone, strike while the iron is hot. Who knows when/if he makes the tournament again with UWGB. Good job by UWGB in finding him though. My opinion of Linc Darner is extremely high, but if I were an AD of a major conference program, I'd have some concerns. It's obvious that he can coach, but can he recruit? He only has 3 years of coaching experience at the DI level (2 as an assistant at Murray State). Can his Midwestern every-man persona drive sponsors / donors? It seems that 1/2 of all head coaching hires in college football / basketball are young assistants who put a fresh face on the program and can "win the interview." His team has played excellent as of late, but they are only 23-12 and finished 4th in the Horizon League. Is that a sufficient sample for an AD to make a hire, bearing in mind that their livelihood may be tied to that hire? He was hand selected by the AD for the Green Bay job. They've run in the same circles before and he might stay out of loyalty. She gave him his first DI head coaching opportunity over strong candidates like Greg Gard and alum Gary Grzesk. He may also like Green Bay. A guy can live pretty well there on $230,000 (plus bonus). He probably doesn't mind the cold since he was born in Indiana and played at Purdue. I think he'll hold out for a Power 5 (+ Big East) job, but I wouldn't be shocked if UCF / USF came calling and he decided to move back to Florida. Such are opportunities are rare and his star has never shined brighter.

I guess the secret is out now, but UWGB has quietly had a good season. Brian Wardle left for Bradley and took the recruiting class with him (as is common). Going from a top-tier Horizon League team to a low-tier MVC team is probably viewed as a lateral move, but he's originally from Illinois and received a substantial raise to coach the Braves. Plus, Keifer Sykes (2x Horizon POY) graduated along with 2 other starters from the previous season. As a whole, it was a down year for the Horizon League. They are typically 10-15 in conference RPI (of the 32 D-I basketball conferences), but will finish around 20th this year. That said, I think Linc Darner is an incredible coach. He inherited 2 quality players in Jordan Fouse and Carrington Love, but otherwise got to the NCAA tourney with guys that weren't even in Wardle's rotation last year. After UWGB lost its entire recruiting class, he picked up two JC transfers who made an immediate impact. Remember the name Linc Darner. He was the D-II National Champion last year and will be the coach of a major conference school within 5 years. For UWGB's sake, I hope it's not sooner.

Agreed. I'm happy for them. Prior to this season, their best shot at the tourney came in 2014. They won the Horizon League regular season that year, but lost in the conference tournament semi-final to UW-Milwaukee in OT. Keifer Sykes (Horizon POY) was injured in the first half and did not return. I know UW-Milwaukee was playing well towards the end of that season, but I gotta believe that Sykes would have been good for an extra 2 points in regulation. I felt terrible for them and their fans.

^ I hear your pain on joint filing - my wife and I were married in December of 2014, so we naively thought that it would be best to file individually last year since we spent over 11 months of the year single. She called me in a panic from H&R Block because she would be ineligible for certain deductions if she were married, but filed separately. We eventually filed together a few weeks later. I used to do my own taxes while in college, but started having them prepared professionally once I began working full time at a local bank. Ordinary folks would come in with tax issues all the time and I got spooked by their experiences.

With Jason Rogers and Khris Davis no longer with the Brewers, this list has become a little less appealing Still - I'm really looking forward to some live baseball in just 6 weeks!

I could not agree more on everyone's assessment of ticket fees - just price the costs into the actual ticket! Here's a recent example of such ridiculousness - Here in Green Bay, I like to go to most UWGB men's basketball home games if they fall on a weekend. Normally, I arrive 30 minutes before tip and wait in line to buy tickets. On the weekend, this line can be up to 30 minutes long. As you wait in line, they have signs posted that say - "save time, buy online" with directions on how to purchase tickets on your smart phone. Of course, this comes with a $3.25 service charge. One day, I decided to get cute and purchase tickets on my lunch hour from the Resch Center box office. Here, I find out that there is also a $3.25 service charge for purchasing tickets directly from the box office. So it's an extra $3.25 to purchase online and an extra $3.25 to purchase live in advance. The only way to avoid the fee is to spend 30 minutes in line on game day.

My wife and I filed our taxes yesterday and our return was much lower than we expected (by at least $1000). With interest rates so low, we have been withholding more than necessary as a form of forced savings and to minimize the chances of receiving a bill from Uncle Sam come April. I won't editorialize on the tax situation in America, but I think most folks will sympathize with me when I say that the system is imperfect. On the bright side, we were able to file successfully, so no one was able to steal our identities and claim our refund.

This guy had a lot of local support in Grand Forks. UND invests its athletic resources in hockey and will always be "little brother" to North Dakota State in football. I think some fans thought, why not? However, in the case of UW, Gard seems like the obvious choice now that he has had the chance to prove himself.

jhart - Just curious as to what you think happened to UWM's season? I follow the Horizon League and thought their program would peak this year and challenge Valpo for the crown.