[Wayner]

I must report that an AC member has already contacted me with a lighting project and I'm having a great time. It is funny how my lighting career and now my just over industrial machine design career have complimented each other, greatly. Apparently, I must have "electricity" in my blood.

On another note, I'm going to clean out my closet of some toys and there will be some deals for anyone interested. Consider it spring cleaning at Wayners.

Wayner 

[turkey]

I have used 5 different CAD systems in my life, but started out on the drafting board. The first CAD was from Control Data called ICEM-DDN, which was a 2 1/2D program. For it's time, it was state of the art. I've also used CADKEY, which is a brother to AutoCAD (they use the same kernel), Pro/E, AutoCAD and DeltaCAD (a cheap 2d software package). Many companies are dropping Pro/E in favor of Solidworks and I probably should take a class on that.

The one thing that employers make a mistake on when looking for help is that they look for specific software users, which I think is a big mistake. Can you use Pro/E, but are a complete idiot when it comes to real designing? I'd rather find someone who knows how to design stuff, then train him in on the latest, greatest software. Good points you have.

Wayner

In a lot of companies, it is the HR department that does at least the preliminary screening for hiring. They have a check list to go through, and if you don't match it, you don't get considered.

It isn't until later, if at all, that someone who knows what the job entails will sit down with you and see what you know.

So you've got Da Vinci with no college degree vs. Cooter who took 18 years to get through the local community college with a 2.1 GPA? Cooter gets the job because he's got a piece of paper.

[Tom Alverson]

Wayner:

Good luck on your job search.  A little advice: be careful what you wish for ("I wish every day was a holiday").   

[oneinthepipe]

Wayner:

Good luck on your job search.  A little advice: be careful what you wish for ("I wish every day was a holiday").   

.

[Wayner]

That was more thinking along the lines of "I can't wait until I retire". Not to stop working, but then I can concentrate on what I want to do and not have to answer to some schmuck telling me what to do, when he himself didn't have a clue.

Here is a great read for anyone interested in the structure of the American business scene and the mind of the typical American: The Peter Plan and it's follow-up, The Peter Principal, both written by Dr. Laurence J. Peter. The books also deal with personal well being, highly recommended (an easy read).

There is a third book that I haven't read, called the Peter Prescription.

Wayner 

[BobM]

I just hit 50 myself this past month  and I was planning to semi-retire in about 5 years or so. I consult for a living, so I was hoping to find some gigs that would let the wife and me travel a bit and see the country to decide where we want to go when I can permanently retire. Well, the economy and losses in my portfolio have made me rethink that plan. I'll be full time for the next 10 years now.

The wife is getting antsy, thinking we'll have to stay in the same house for 10 more years (Long Island, NY). I would love to move elsewhere myself but the work is primarily here in NYC for me. I do feel lucky to still be working; lots of friends and associates are not so lucky (yourself included Wayne and several others from the NY Rave group). I hope things change next year and we can all get back to some kind of "normalcy" where we can look 10 years out with some kind of reasonable assumptions again.

Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

A word to the job seekers:

I've been 'burning up' the internet and telephone lines looking for a job. I'm now getting spam email and automated machines calling the house. 
I've now learned to do a Google search on the phone number that appears on caller ID.
Be very careful of Craigslist. They seem to be the most common denominator.

The one I see the most shows up on called ID as VOXBONE/NYC2 with the phone number 646-520-0697.
Looks like they're pretty active:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-646-520-0697

Make a difficult situation worse when you have to deal with "A-Holes" preying on us. 

Bob

[turkey]

Make a difficult situation worse when you have to deal with "A-Holes" preying on us. 

There are also scammers that try to get personal info from you. They'll call and offer you a job and then say they need your info and SS# to get the paperwork started.