Phil,
Your comment on the "limited pool of young talent" jogged my memory of a
lament from an HR person, almost to the same topic.
This person was lamenting that a very large number of those in the work
force [like 70%] were just sliding by on a day to day basis. Performing to
the minimum requirements necessary, and since the job market is so pathetic
they were not likely to move on. From an engineering point of view, it
seemed to have been pretty poorly thought out...
Being somewhat crusty at times as well, my rebuttal was that it appeared
that not only were the employees slackers, but so was management for
allowing them to smudge the bottom line like that. I suggested that they
get rid of the non-producers from the top down, and hire/re-hire some of the
older, more experienced individuals and get the company turned around.
Didn't get a response!
Oops!
Yes, we've dumbed down education. Badly!
The switch from Assoc Degree to a BA means more money in someone's pockets -
not necessarily the person getting the degree.
Employers don't want to hire people, they want to make a profit! Cheap
labor is great [on the books] if you are making jelly bean parts. It comes
back to bite you at some point.
Yes, other companies complain about the lack of talented employees
available, but what they don't say is that they wish to pay them practically
nothing. And if you are >50, it doesn't matter how much experience you
have, and how little you are willing to work for, you are "over-qualified",
aka - 'over-old'
Being a consumer or service economy is okay so long as you are PRODUCING
something. If companies are not Producing, no one has the money to be a
Consumer, or have a Service provided for, and the whole thing spirals down
the toilet.
As they say, Ignorance is Bliss - until the sledgehammer smacks you up
against the side of the head!
I could really go on as well!!
Steve Creswick
Sr Associate - Balanced Enterprise Solutions
http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevencreswick
616 834 1883
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nutting, Phil
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2013 1:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Refreshment (NTC rant)
Dewey, love your five sayings!
Ok, this thread has struck a nerve.
I have several "signs" that there is a very limited pool of young talent to
replace those of us who have grown up with technology as it too grew up.
Our local high school dropped Shop and HomEcc many years ago. I worked as
an industry advisor to two high school technical programs. It was sad the
lack of knowledge these kids had about simple tools or how things worked.
My alma mater has decided to shift away from all the excellent hands on
Associates degree programs (where many of my peers got their start and
spark) in favor of four years Bachelor of Technology programs. Now they
want to shift all these to full Bachelors. So my son will be the last
graduating class in Mechanical Engineering Technology. The school has
decided to only offer Mechanical Engineering. They seem to be reaching to
being a University rather than the Institute or Institute of Technology that
got them to where they are now and the $$$ they can charge. Are they really
that blind to what is really going on?
I was mentioning this change in our society to my boss some time ago and he
thought everything would be ok with global outsourcing and we would become a
service economy. There are only so many folks needed to ask if "you want
fries with that order".
So now we are waking up to the fact that offshoring may not be as
economically practical anymore and then reshoring the manufacturing here.
With what work force? The Baby Boomers (most of us on Technet) are reaching
or have reached retirement age. With offshoring kids weren't directed into
manufacturing (it was "dirty, unexciting, had no future"), so there were no
new technicians and young engineers to carry the torch. Now we want every
kid to go to college... for what, to get a Bachelors Degree and then
struggle to find a job in their "field of study". So they mooch of Mom and
Dad and maybe take a job at next to minimum wage and can't afford to spread
their wings, move out and buy a car or a house. I've invested about
$100,000.00 in my daughters education and she is working for $11/hour part
time. Really?!
I read in the trade mags how some companies are so desperate for skilled
workers that they have teamed up with a local school and created an
apprentice program. Wow, a blast from the past. That was how many of us
started.
Now we have business managers that got the questions right on their MBA
exam, but have no clue about the products their companies make or what the
needs are to properly manufacturer their product.
I could go on, but I'll get off my soap box now. Thanks to those of you who
read this whole rant.
Phil (the curmudgeon)
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Whittaker, Dewey (EHCOE)
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2013 12:13 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Refreshment
As I was reflecting on the things you said I noticed the words on my board.
They consist of 5 statements that came from a bigger list I had from
something I wrote many, many years ago. When the term" The Peter Principle"
came out, I wrote " The Peter Pan Principle" as a Manager's guide to Never
-Never Land to deal with the time of MBOs( management by or in spite of
objectives) and other lack-of-management-skill terms. Now we have Six Sigma
and other tools which only yield answers that reflect an aggregate whole of
the consensus opinion of both the informed and the utterly clueless. It's
not that the answer is wrong; it is the best available answer given the
inputs, but not the best correct answer. The ability to find multiple
recommendations and inputs on any subject matter via all the available
search engines has negated most individual contributions.
No corporation strives for perfection let alone pride in that accomplishment
, but get it out the door as quickly and cheaply as possible with all
supporting efforts at a level of just good enough.
They still appear to be pertinent. They are as follows:
* Never let the grasp of reality hold you back.
* Never let the voice of reason drown you out.
* Never let the light of wisdom shadow your intentions.
* Never let an intellectual spark ignite your creativity.
* Never let the cataracts of conscience dull your vision.
Dewey
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ed Popielarski
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2013 8:33 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Refreshment
Inge,
I, too, have noticed the gradual fade, and it's my opinion we, ourselves,
are to blame. Similar to what has happened inside NASA, the "pioneers" that
sculpted the industry are dead, dying, retired and tired. We as a society
failed to properly backfill with fresh talent and the methodology of
upstarting engineering grads is much different than "in our day". Seems to
me the new generation engineers have developed a love affair with their
desktop computers and the internet (something that didn't even exist when we
were sprouting wings) and "we" collectively, are transforming to a more
digital existence, as opposed to the hard, wet, hot physical realm. As this
evolution proceeds, much of the pioneering spirit is lost, as well as the
good-old-fashioned "chutzpah" to "break outside the box, damn the torpedoes,
full speed ahead." Job preservation has become a primary focus and this has
really retarded the craft.
Just my $0.0199999 and ventilation of an issue that I've been containing for
some time now.
Ed Popielarski
Engineering Manager
970 NE 21st Ct.
Oak Harbor, Wa. 98277
Ph: 360-675-1322
Fx: 206-624-0965
Cl: 949-581-6601
https://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces?hl=en&ll=48.315753,-122.643578&spn=0.0
11188,0.033023&ctz=420&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Inge Hernefjord
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2013 3:00 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] Refreshment
Technet, once a supernova...now just a fading sparkle. Time for renaissence
(french)? Blood transfusion? Vitamin therapy? Dopamin cure?
.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, ...sorry....YYYAAAWN...
Inge
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