CNN article on 50 best jobs -- #1 is software

[Dave Boland]

I ran across this article this morning and wondered what
others of you think.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/

Dave,

 

[larwe]

I ran across this article this morning and wondered what
others of you think.

Laboratory tests have proven conclusively that research causes cancer
in rats.

When sufficiently redacted, all information is meaningless.

 

[Dave Boland]

Laboratory tests have proven conclusively that research causes cancer
in rats.

When sufficiently redacted, all information is meaningless.

Not very insightful. This the best you can offer?

 

[John Larkin]

I ran across this article this morning and wondered what
others of you think.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/

Dave,

"Engineer" rates #17, below chiropractor and physician assistant and
technical writer.

Imagine hacking code, rubbing backs, or editing manuals 40 hours a
week for the rest of your working life. That would be like joining the
Living Dead to me.

The best thing about occasionally programming an embedded app is that
I know it will soon be over, and I can get back to real engineering.
I'd sink into despair if I knew that, after this one was done, there
was an infinite train of additional programming tasks lined up...

John

 

[Dave Boland]

"Engineer" rates #17, below chiropractor and physician assistant and
technical writer.

Imagine hacking code, rubbing backs, or editing manuals 40 hours a
week for the rest of your working life. That would be like joining the
Living Dead to me.

The best thing about occasionally programming an embedded app is that
I know it will soon be over, and I can get back to real engineering.
I'd sink into despair if I knew that, after this one was done, there
was an infinite train of additional programming tasks lined up...

John

John,

I so get what you are saying! However, I also get so tired
of trying to find parts that actually work the way the
specs. say they should (been burned by this a few times), or
getting parts from companies that seem to produce more
specs. than actual parts, then having to design a card
because the days of the easy to use DIP are over, etc.

The advantage of software is that I don't have to by "If"
statements and the like, nothing on back-order for nine
months, and they don't wear out. Sill, as you say, making
something move, blink, or even smoke, is a rewarding feeling!

Dave,

 

[larwe]

Not very insightful. This the best you can offer?

Pretty much. You point to a Reader's Digest view of the world, expect a
Reader's Digest answer. You're showing mass-consumer media articles to
a technical audience.

I just finished writing a book on how to be an embedded engineer. I
think it's a much better job than being a pure software guy, especially
in the sense those clowns meant it. Hanging your career on app-level
shrinkwrap crap is pretty much painting an outsourcing target on your
back.

 

[Gary Reichlinger]

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:11:21 -0700, John Larkin

The best thing about occasionally programming an embedded app is that
I know it will soon be over, and I can get back to real engineering.

What do you consider to be "real engineering"?

 

[Hans-Bernhard Broeker]

I ran across this article this morning and wondered what
others of you think.

That's easy:

1) you crossposted without limiting F'up2

2) Any "study" searching for the N "best" of any type things is bogus
almost by definition.

3) Any study published in a URL that contains "money" twice is
almost guaranteed to be phony, biased, or incorrectly
reported --- most likely all three combined.

4) Any study trying to compare jobs "objectively", without relation to
the person doing them, is an exercise in futility --- a job is a
*much* too personal thing to be qualifiable like that.

Every year, in every country of the world, pupils and students see
such "studies" and, taking them at face value, make breathtakingly bad
decisions based on them, causing floods of students in certain fields,
and shortages in others. IMHO a law against publishing such "studies"
wouldn't be the worst of all possible ideas. Adequate punishment: the
publisher owes everyone who believed them a job, for as many months as
passed between that study and the next one of its ilk.

 

[John Larkin]

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:11:21 -0700, John Larkin


What do you consider to be "real engineering"?

Discovering a unfilled need; contacting potential users and getting
their opinions on what they'd like; researching the competition;
researching the literature for theory and techniques; researching and
testing available parts; conceiving/brainstorming a hardware/software
architecture; writing the spec sheet and the preliminary manual;
getting user opinions again; design; pcb layout and packaging; fpga
and firmware design; putting it together and making it work; test sets
and test procedures; final datasheets and manuals; press releases and
web pages; tweaks; next project.


The "design" bit is my favorite part.

John

 

[Chris Hills]

Pretty much. You point to a Reader's Digest view of the world, expect a
Reader's Digest answer. You're showing mass-consumer media articles to
a technical audience.

I would agree. Especially when the definitions are very vague. It's not
just a mass market survey to a technical audience. put the same survey
in front of any specialist forum and they will knock holes in it re
their own area of expertise.

It also depends on who the sample was. Ask in New-York, San Francisco,
Seattle and Memphis and you will get 4 completely different sets of
answers.

Ask in some parts of "Hillbilly" land USA* and Pig farmer will be Heaven
judging by the film Deliverance

*Not sure which part of the US the hillbillys etc reside.

I just finished writing a book on how to be an embedded engineer. I
think it's a much better job than being a pure software guy, especially
in the sense those clowns meant it.

It depends on many things. I know many software engineers (who don't do
hardware) who only work in the embedded field and vise-versa. I know
many who would refer to themselves a "programmers" (mind you that is
mainly in the PC field).

On the other hand what is an "engineer" in 17? Many who call
themselves Engineers are mechanics there are many branches of
"engineering"

This survey is rather pointless.

Hanging your career on app-level
shrinkwrap crap is pretty much painting an outsourcing target on your
back.

Again that depends on your view. Programmer is a very secure job... lots
of foreigners keep coming here with projects for us to do

 

[Chris Hills]

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:11:21 -0700, John Larkin


What do you consider to be "real engineering"?

Now there is the question!

fixing cars
building bridges
making aeroplanes
designing aeroplanes
using a lathe

Most of my fathers engineering involved a lot of mathematics and very
little else. (designing gas turbine blades)

 

[Paul Carpenter]

On Friday, in article
<ITN%[email protected]>

Not very insightful. This the best you can offer?

Considering, the mile wide paintbrush that has be used to pigeon hole the
categories, any answer is just as meaningless. Software can mean anything
to those doing the survey from script files, to complex scientific
multi-processor algorithms to decipher the CERN linear accelerator.

No doubt the engineer category covered

Mechanical (including garage mechanics called engineers)
Civil
Electronic
Electrical
Plumbing and sewage
Plant engineer (as in factories)
plus many other categories.

These surveys are as meaningless as the recent headlines about
"Twice as many children taking cocaine", as a ROUNDED up figure changed
from 1% to 2% which actually was a difference between 1.3% and 1.85%,
nearer a third. Considering the statistical accuracy and the subjects
it is a meaningless change more like noise on a measurement.

Very simplified stats in magazines/newspapers and news are no use to
anybody. Even a simple 20% is meaning less without knowing the total
quantity, as in five people and one causes a 20% change in some survey.

 

[nappy]

CNN is 99% bullshit and 1% news.

 

[Rich Grise, but drunk]

*Not sure which part of the US the hillbillys etc reside.

Mayberry. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich
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[Grant Edwards]

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 07:11:21 -0700, John Larkin


What do you consider to be "real engineering"?

Driving a train.

Woooo-wooooo!

 

[Gary Reichlinger]

Discovering a unfilled need; contacting potential users and getting
their opinions on what they'd like; researching the competition;
researching the literature for theory and techniques; researching and
testing available parts; conceiving/brainstorming a hardware/software
architecture; writing the spec sheet and the preliminary manual;
getting user opinions again; design; pcb layout and packaging; fpga
and firmware design; putting it together and making it work; test sets
and test procedures; final datasheets and manuals; press releases and
web pages; tweaks; next project.

I would rate at least half of those tasks as less interesting
than embedded programming. None of them would be possible without the
program.

 

[Teece]

Larwe,

What is the title of the book that you wrote? I am interested.

Regards
Tom

 

[Chris Hills]

CNN is 99% bullshit and 1% news.

Likewise FOX from what I have seen.

 

[Rich Grise, but drunk]

Driving a train.

Woooo-wooooo!

Thank you. My first job out of the USAF was "Engineering Tech" - I'm only
certified as a Tech, but we did some stuff that could be construed to be
engineering - but that's not the point. One time, a couple of the guys
from the production line were passing by "the lab" (manned by me and two
other Engineering Techs), discussing some sort of snafu, and of them said
to the other, "Oh, check with one of these train drivers."

I thought it was rather cute at the time.

Cheers!
Rich
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[Jim Thompson]

Likewise FOX from what I have seen.

[snip]

Didn't you hear that Fox is "fair and balanced" ?

...Jim Thompson