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You are so right on with this point. It doesn't surprise me that some of the most successful shows on tv today are dim-witted reality shows about party animals who constantly engage in bar fighting and other drama-filled antics. It seems a growing percentage of our population is becoming increasingly simple-minded. The fact that so many can be entertained by such mind-numbing crap is quite revealing, IMO.
Its not revealing at all. Its entertainment. I have tested several times at just below genius level on standardized IQ tests (actually once I scored just over it when I was very young), and I frequently watch cartoons like the Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead, etc (even though I agree the majority of reality TV is bogus)......some would consider that mindless drivel, I consider it funny.
I dont understand this preoccupation with people needing to occupy their spare time with things that have little entertainment value to reflect their intellegence or capacity to learn. I put up with enough boring stressful crap at work. I don't need it when I get home too.
Its not revealing at all. Its entertainment. I have tested several times at just below genius level on standardized IQ tests (actually once I scored just over it when I was very young), and I frequently watch cartoons like the Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead, etc (even though I agree the majority of reality TV is bogus)......some would consider that mindless drivel, I consider it funny.
I dont understand this preoccupation with people needing to occupy their spare time with things that have little entertainment value to reflect their intellegence or capacity to learn. I put up with enough boring stressful crap at work. I don't need it when I get home too.
I watch those shows as well. I was referring to shows like Kendra, The Newlyweds (Jessica Simpson), Jersey Shore, or mostly anything you find on MTV and E!. Shows like South Park, The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Daily Show, etc., are a lot more intelligent than any of the shows I mentioned above, IMO
Keep in mind, they were hiring Masters and PhD students as well as undergraduates at my university.
They hire BS degrees as Associate Engineers, MS as Engineers, and Phd as Senior Engineers out of college (assuming they didn't have prior industry experience). Keep that in mind when you look at the chart in your link.
Like hindsight2020 I worked at LM too. Most of what he says is pretty much true company wide. What that chart doesn't show is this: Most engineers ride out their entire careers in the median salary range for their pay grade. It's a moving bar chart to halfass account for inflation.
Coming into the company you start out getting 4% per year merit increases...which is ok. But after a while (say 3 years or so) if you aren't the absolute top performer you'll see 2-2.5% merrit increases. Two people out of 10 get the good raises, 6 get the median, and 2 get the shaft (feel bad for those guys). Let me know if you think 2-2.5% actually keeps up with inflation. After a few years of that....along with being delayed on promotions (if you aren't a good ole boy sometimes you don't get the promotion on schedule...it's amazing how there is a good ole boy system in a company that large)....it's enough to make anyone want to leave.
A lot of people leave to take a promotion/pay increase at another company only to come back to LM a few years later for another promotion/pay increase. The guys that have been around the defense/aero industry know how to work the system. I worked with a guy that hopped from one company to the other taking a raise or promotion every time he jumped.
I don't know what the hell is wrong with you people. Instead of bitching and moaning about how rich people are, or are going to get, why don't you improve your skills to get a higher paying job?
That sounds like a simplistic Shawn Hannity antidote...
How does one improove their skills?
And if companies are shutting their doors, and shipping your job overseas, who will hire you with these 'new skills'?
The whole point is that the new business model is to not pay you more for your skills....
That's the whole dog gon point...
Beggining pilots earn around $17,000 a year...less than a Taco Bell manager....and a student pilot spends around $80,000-$100,000 learning a new skill...and still starts off earning $17,000 a year or less....
Do you not get what's going on?
They could careless about your new skills....and would still rather pay you 3rd world wages so that the company can maximize it's profits.....
Last edited by Time and Space; 03-17-2010 at 11:53 AM..
Do you not get what's going on?
They could careless about your new skills....and would still rather pay you 3rd world wages so that the company can maximize it's prophets.....
Ding, ding, ding...BINGO!
These people that argue that investing in new skills is the end all cure to this economic recession are borderline delusional. I'm guessing they've been sheltered most of their lives (parents paid for everything, legacy students, job hook ups, etc.)
Sure, dump another $30-$40k in an education that might get you another 5 grand a year, IF your company isn't already cutting back and IF you can find another company that hasn't already shipped 50% of their work force overseas. Very wise advice.
I watch those shows as well. I was referring to shows like Kendra, The Newlyweds (Jessica Simpson), Jersey Shore, or mostly anything you find on MTV and E!. Shows like South Park, The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Daily Show, etc., are a lot more intelligent than any of the shows I mentioned above, IMO
My point is though, that most of the people watch those shows simply for their entertainment value, not neccessarily because they identify with them, and Im not sure its accurate to equivalate any entertainment medium to all or any of the characteristics of its audience.
For instance, Japanese people, from Japan, are amongst the most intellegent in the world, if using standardized testing. Have you seen some of the stuff they watch? Seriously, their favorite shows include people getting hit in the nuts with hammers, and seeing who can drink the most water without pissing their pants. Its like Jack Ass on half the channels.
Sure, dump another $30-$40k in an education that might get you another 5 or grand a year, IF your company isn't already cutting back and IF you can find another company willing to pay you that. Very wise advice.
Actually, the more likely case these days is, spend 30-40k, and come out just to figure out that the skill you just spent that money studying is now unemployable or not nearly as hot as it was when you decided to get in to it.
Just look back 15 years, how many different career fields were "hot", and were "cant miss" it seemed like every 2 or 3 years, it was something different. How can you possibly keep up with that?
Actually, the more likely case these days is, spend 30-40k, and come out just to figure out that the skill you just spent that money studying is now unemployable or not nearly as hot as it was when you decided to get in to it.
Just look back 15 years, how many different career fields were "hot", and were "cant miss" it seemed like every 2 or 3 years, it was something different. How can you possibly keep up with that?
You're exactly right. On top of that, you have all this over-inflated, out-of-date salary data circulating around that misleads people into thinking that they will be making X amount upon graduation, only to be pleasantly surprised by an offer of half that amount.
Personally, I think the BLS will ultimately need to completely revamp the data they have for their Occupational Outlook Handbook.
This report is from 2005 and it doesn’t say anything new. It’s stating facts that we all know, the rich are and have always been getting rich and the poor will always stay poor. They are just saying there are other aspects of this that they need to worry about.
It is primarily the less educated work force that is getting hit with very high unemployment rates. If you isolated matters to just engineering, science, etc the unemployment rate would be even lower.
One needs to remember that even in a healthy economic there is some degree of unemployment and industries are rarely equally spread across the country.
The funny thing is that the people posting are not even unemployment, they just complain about about their wages because they think they are worth more (after all, isn't a college degree suppose to make everyone a millionaire?).
Last edited by user_id; 03-18-2010 at 05:40 AM..
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