NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/sci/engr/2415

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-24 | 3.3 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!mizar.cc.umanitoba.ca!access.usask.ca!skorpio!choy
From: [e-mail] (I am a terminator.)
Newsgroups: sci.engr
Subject: Re: I don't want to keep looking for new jobs.
Date: 24 Dec 1992 20:56:57 GMT
Organization: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Lines: 65
Sender: choy@skorpio (I am a terminator.)
Distribution: na
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: skorpio.usask.ca

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (anthony.r.rizzo) writes:
|> The days of a career track in engineering are just about over.
|> Now, engineering offers jobs, nothing more.  And it ain't getting
|> any better.  Companies have been shifting manufacturing jobs
|> across the borders and overseas for years.  That trend is increasing,
|> not decreasing.  It won't be long before most of the engineering
|> goes overseas too.  Some of it is already there.  People
|> in other countries, it seems, have comparable education and
|> can do the work just as well as we can.  The only difference
|> seems to be that they are currently willing to do it for much less.

We have to keep up. Do the job better. Do things that no one else can do
and that everyone wants to do.

|> Other costs are less too, for the companies.  Some countries have
|> socialized medicine.  So, companies don't have to pay for medical
|> insurance.  But the real driving force is the cost of labor,
|> and I include engineers in this.  Labor costs are simply less
|> overseas.

Are labor costs too high here. Should we be happy with less? Or are
the people overseas too tolerant? What's it like to work overseas?

|> The only way for you and me to maintain our standard of
|> living is to be able to do things that the overseas types can't do.
|> Maybe we can get an edge somehow.

Engineers can improve themselves quickly if they have better access to
good information. Also a procedure for performing engineering work is
needed.

I go to the store and see crap on the shelves. The stuff that isn't
crap is too expensive. I'm accumulating a lot of stuff and it's hard to
convince me to buy one more thing unless it's really nice. It seems the
quality of goods must increase exponentially with time to attract buyers.
Engineering design quality likely should increase exponentially with
time. The infrastructure quality has to increase exponentially to permit
engineering work to increase. For example, I'm working on a clunky
Dec 5000/120 connected to a 10 Mbit/s Ethernet. The computer is 1 yr
old, and I want a Dec Alpha connected to fiber. With a 10 Gb hard drive
and a 30" screen. 100 Mb of RAM. I'm always taking things to the limits.
If the limits grow, I go faster. I work better. The world becomes a
better place.

We used to have Sun 3/50s in the undergrad lab, and everyone limited
their work to these machines. Now we have 25 Mips per workstation,and
the students have become much bolder. Raise our children on Nintendo! :-)

--

Henry Choy
[e-mail]

Hey kids, start jumping up and down like idiots.

Looking for LOG for a good price?

Dial 1-800-byBLAMO !!!!

"Log rolls down stairs. Rolls over in pairs.
 Rolls over your neighbor's dog.
 It's good for a snack. It fits on your back.
 It's LOG LOG LOG!!!!"

             -- Ren * Stimpy