Pete,
Great topic for this forum... :)
It's a subject that engenders emotional responses from many... especially
those who have not worked for the past four years... (I know some
personally)
We are suffering somewhat from the discovery by corporations that they can
get portions of their work done through outsourcing to much lower cost labor
pools in foreign countries...
When I became a designer, I was working as an electronics technician for Oak
Systems at the glorious wage of $7.25 an hour. I had actually had worked at
lower wages than that and been happy to have the work, as I was a young guy
and needed the money. I got an opportunity to train with the others who were
in the drafting department, and they got a bright young kid who didn't cost
them a lot who did the work that some more experienced person could have
done for twice as much...
Was that a bad thing?... maybe for the 48 year old guy they let go to get
me, the 20 year old, for less money... but it made my career develop and I
am thankful for that. I was sorry for the guy that they let go, but he
wasn't performing up to speed, or accuracy. He also wasn't up to date on his
knowledge, he wasn't keeping himself trained... therein lies the problem...
I think anyone who is honest with themselves will realize that this is an
open market, the way you win the job is being the right person with the
right skills and work ethic and the right price at the right time...
It's never easy or convenient to spend time training yourself, and the time
you need that training most is usually not until you are unemployed, and
don't have the money to afford the classes...
That's why the 'wise ones' are getting the training and upgrading their
skills now, while they are employed... they give up the 'free' time and
apply themselves to their career development all the time. They never stop
learning. They never take it easy... they always have some sort of training
going on.
It's not easy, but nothing worthwhile is easy....
I think we are just competing against a much larger workforce for the good
jobs... Constant training is the insurance that we will get those jobs...
Hopefully the companies that have those jobs will recognize that the talent
is here, even though it may cost a little more, the results are worth it.
Remember the only thing they have going for them is lower cost... which does
not necessarily mean a better product. And doing business out of country has
some additional hurdles to over come that can really induce risk into the
equation. Companies are finding that out... it's a painful lesson
sometimes...
I think the jobs that we will definitely have here in the U.S. are
non-exportable jobs, ones that they can't get done overseas... or that they
are concerned about loosing their intellectual property to an unscrupulous
nation without the same copyright law enforcements. International business
may come to us though because we are the best... and that's because many
designers are getting the training and certifications being offered through
the IPC Designers Council and the UP Media events on the west and east
coasts. Better trained means better chances of landing that next job.
That's what competition is all about. We want to help our designer members
get prepared to meet that challenge.
Best regards,
Bill Brooks
PCB Design Engineer , C.I.D., C.I.I.
Tel: (760)597-1500 Ext 3772 Fax: (760)597-1510
http://pcbwizards.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Pete Waddell [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2004 1:30 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Retrieved]Re: [DC] "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay...."
Lou, you broach an interesting issue that I was ruminatin' on just the
other day. To everyone: what applications - mil, medical, etc - would
y'all insist SHOULD be designed, manufactured, tested in U.S.? Are there
levels of applications where you feel they should be
designed/manufactured/tested domestically? As I understand it, there are
people from other countries than the U.S. that subscribe to this forum.
How do you as designers in Europe, India, Asia etc react to the feeling
in some circles in the U.S. that "our" jobs (they really don't belong to
us, you know) are being "shipped overseas".
I'm not coming down on on side or the other here, I'd just like to know
how y'all feel.
If you feel this post is inappropriate for this forum, let me know that
also.
p.
Pete Waddell
President
UP Media Group
678-589-8813
[log in to unmask]
>>> [log in to unmask] 09/30/04 15:18 PM >>>
IMHO... It better be written in several foreign languages for foreign
universities.
Pcb's will no longer be designed in this country, except for military
applications.
Lou
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