[SBE] Industry retirement situation

[chscherer at everestkc.net]

The SBE asks if members would like to provide their birthdates. For legal reasons, we do not require applicants to provide it. Some data is available, although I do not know how accessible it is.

Without even looking at it though, it's obvious that we have an aging member base. Look at chapter meetings. Look at the membership meeting at the NAB convention. We're an older group. For this discussion, it doesn’t matter if the average member is 5, 10, 15 or 20 years from retirement.

It is the SBE's concern to attract new members into the society, but it's the industry's concern to attract new people into the industry. The SBE can provide professional networking, educational opportunities and some career services to our members. While our industry and technology have changed, so have other industries. Whereas broadcasting used to be the glamorous technical industry, other industries have taken that recognition. Other industries are also attracting the new technical talent because of their consumer awareness and image as well as the work conditions and salaries.

I am moderating a session called "Communicating with Management" on April 14 from 10:30 a.m. to noon in S228 at the 2008 NAB Show. The panelists are mostly managers, not engineers. I welcome you to attend and ask questions about the future of broadcast engineering from these panelists.

Chriss

----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Stewart <gstewart at ctvn.org>

> Maybe the SBE has our birth years in its records and can run a 

> report on what percentage of members will reach a certain age in each of the 

> next10 years.

> 

> I know we have been thinking about it here.  We have 6 traditional

> technical employees of varying involvement and specializations 

> within TV

> engineering. (2 fewer than 2 years ago) (22 years ago we had 4 just

> taking care of studio cameras) Our weak point, of course, is IT.

> 

> The nice thing is that of the two youngest, one is RF and the other

> isn't. With technology moving the way it is, maybe they are all we 

> willneed in 6 years.  Maybe by the time they retire the 

> receptionist can do it.





> > Are there any figures on what percentage of current SBE members are

> > within five years of retirement?  Ten years?  It goes by rather

> > quickly...and then what?