Working for supplementals (as my career has encapsulated for the past 7 years) is a double-edged sword. There are good ones and there are bad ones. I'm not badmouthing the current ones, but I have a strong case when I say that the GREAT supplemental carriers have gone under. When picking a carrier, do your homework when researching the company: where will they be in 5-10 years, what's their diversification when coming to their business model, who's in their management team, etc. Find out who their management team is is usually the tell-tale sign of where the carrier is headed. Chances are, certain names keeping popping up at random carriers in the industry. Don't get into the habit of playing whack-a-mole, because your livelihood is at stake here.
I'm also a firm believer that getting a job at regional prior to moving to a supplemental is an added bonus. The training programs at said regionals are better, more documented, better intensive for a new-hire dispatcher; for an experienced dispatcher such as myself and others, it creates a refresher course for those who want to better themselves and a chance to go to a major or the Feds. If you're not learning, you're regressing. Be knowledgable, showing a thirst for knowledge; not a know-it-all.
