Originally Posted by RJSAviator76

Just to be clear, I'm not telling anyone that it's wrong to bid straight. Quite the contrary, I'm trying to help the new guys score second-year pay without getting outbid all the time especially now that we're overstaffed on the FO side. Nowadays, all it takes is a first-year pilot throwing a straight bid about an hour before close, and you have FO's senior enough to hold captain outbidding them at straight. Sad, but the end result is usually the first-year pilot left holding the bag.

I outlined some of the easier ways to make extra cash as a first-year pilot as opposed to just throwing straight bids, but ultimately, it's all up to the individual.