[quote=kewp][quote=flu] Very few are working on the actual wireless protocol, etc. How many of them are really using their communication theory, digital signal processing background,etc.
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I used to work at Bell Labs in N.J., in the same building where many of the wireless protocols were in fact designed. All of the PI’s had a Masters at least. Most had Ph.D’s.
And I suspect the teams providing the specs to the implementation guys are similar.
Anyways, it takes all kinds to make the world work. I appreciate everyone with a good work ethic, whether they are diplomats or ditch-diggers.
I do feel bad at times that I slacked off in school and have ended up doing better than many people that spent 8-10 years in higher ed and ran up 100k of student loans. But such is life; I assume.
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So you are definetly a smart dude Kewp! They did not let any slouchs through that door. I bow to your Bell Lab Days. Some very cool things came out of there!
I am the implementation engineer. As the name implies above and am a Lucent documentation monkey and I agree a lot with what you posted.
And I have to say that your aruguement about the pool of Masters/PHd’s is a valid one but I will take it a step further.
I fully support the arugment that IT Engineers aren’t the same as Hard Science Engineer (I include Comp Sci guys in the Hard catergory) I can see the difference in the thought process between the catergories. The classical trained engineers usually have better logic trains than the non.
But here is where I take it one step further. I see engineers that lack the real talent to be engineers. Sure they are book smart people and were able to pass exams but they lack the imagination to take it further. Too many engineers today, at any level, do not want to develop their own process and think outside the box. Too many just want to be “super techs” meaning they just want to be told what to do (usually in a manual) and apply it instead of developing methods on thier own.
Good paying salaries have attracted a pool of ppl that do this as a job. The best engineers I have seen do this as a lifestyle.
There will be exceptions I have met a few in my life.
Flu is definetly right about the Theory Vs. Implementaton. 100 to 1 ratio there.
My last rant is there are so many of us looking for work these days because there has been a paradigm shift in what we do.
We, as engineers, use to build things that ppl needed. Now most of us build things that ppl want. Infrastructure Vs. Toys.
When I entered college one of my profesors said “As Engineers you will never be a rich man… but you will always have a job”. By the time I graduated that already was untrue! Things have changed quickly!
Good Luck to those who are looking. In 7 days I may join your ranks…
