[SBE] Here is another story you may find of interest

[Jeff Carter]

I guess the best thing to do would be to study a good bit of physics,
so you could figure out how to first interrupt and then run against
the linear flow of time.  Once you've accomplished that, you could
move back fifty years or more to a period of time when this career
field still existed in a meaningful form.  Creating a time machine is
only slightly more difficult than finding a broadcast engineering job
that makes economic sense for you to have.   You can still work your
way into being the contract engineer putting out fires for 25 stations
spread across three states, but that isn't going to be a lot of fun.

To clarify, we've already discussed ad nauseum how you can make as
much money or more in other positions that require less of you in
terms of time and knowledge.  The IT knowledge a broadcast engineer
must have will pay much more handsomely in somebody's data center or
NOC.  Hell, you could manage a Wendy's and do better with comparable
hours, and there's always food.

I'm not saying there aren't any jobs, because we have some of them,
but I am saying that we're becoming a bit of an anachronism.  One may
as well study to be Town Crier.  Or travel agent.

As I think about it, Travel Agent is a really good comparison.  Years
ago, they were very important.  There's still a niche market where it
makes sense to use a travel agency, and some companies I work for
demand that you book travel through their contracted agency if you
expect to have them pay for it.  However, the Internet has obviated
the use of travel agencies by the general public.  In the same way,
technology has obviated the need for full time broadcast engineers.

Like broadcast engineers, travel agents still exist in niche markets
and in small numbers.  And like broadcast engineers, I'm sure they
wonder what's going on with their industry and when the axe is going
to finally fall for good.

The general consensus of all these messages seems to be to gently say
there's no more gold in this mine, time to look for a different
mineral.  In discussions I've had with the SBE Hierarchy, they feel
that instead of RF things will move to IP and we'll still be broadcast
engineers with a different method of propagation, but if they're right
then we're dead.  If it all goes to IP then IT folks will handle it
all.  High voltage, and the fear thereof, is all that's keeping IT at
bay in many markets.

Jeff/KD4RBG


On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 8:55 AM,  <russ at russvanderhorst.info> wrote:

> I guess what bothers me about all of this is that I am certain that everyone on this list has

> worked hard to learn what they needed to learn, via classroom instruction, book, hands on

> instruction, or any combination of the three. I have (an am) working hard to at least learn the

> profession...and I do mean learn it. I want to understand all of the RF theory, transmission

> lines, MPEG compression, Dolby audio etc...yet this person from prison, who was living on

> the streets had it handed to him. To me...just doesn't seem right.

>

> Russ, CBT

>

>

> On 14 Oct 2009 at 7:37, Kevin C. Kidd CSRE/AMD wrote:

>

>> Jeff,

>>

>> I too wish that I would have known about this a long time ago.  I could

>> have saved a lot of time and energy...

>>

>> I have always told people that I wished that I could be a wino but

>> simply couldn't afford it...  Most would agree that my wardrobe would

>> befit a street urchin.

>>

>> Jeff Carter wrote:

>> > I think this is tremendous.  Instead of descending into homelessness

>> > through working in broadcasting, now it's possible to just start out

>> > that way.

>> >

>>

>> --

>> Kevin C. Kidd, CSRE/AMD

>> WD4RAT

>> mailto:kkidd at kkbc.com

>>

>> KK BROADCAST ENGINEERING

>> http://www.kkbc.com

>>

>> AM GROUND SYSTEMS CO.

>> http://www.amgroundsystems.com

>>

>> 51 Ridge Ln

>> Lawrenceburg, TN 38464

>> Local:        931-766-2999

>> Nation Wide:  877-766-2999

>> FAX:          931-766-3974

>> _______________________________________________

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>>

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>

>

> my webpage

> http://russvanderhorst.info

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