I am sorry Jiri, I should have recognized your original article as Flamebait.
Well I did have to look up the Flamebait on the web.
Flamebait is a message posted to a public Internet discussion group, such as a forum, newsgroup or mailing list, with the intent of provoking an angry response (a "flame") or argument over a topic the troll often has no real interest in.
If I am the troll here, then rest assured that enginnering is a subject close to my heart. I have been an engineer longer than many people here have been. I am truly interested in what shape the engineering is at and above all what will it be like in the future, that is if engineering in US has any future to speak of.
Special interest groups such as the one you are part of Hugh, have vested interest in spreading disinformation.
In past five years average college tuition went up by 51%, many students have to take loans and end up with heavy debt to start their careers. You are not going to complain about it, why should you, your salary is based on that 51%.
I know for example that Devry University used to advertize heavily their so called employment statistics, until they got sued! You won't see them anymore making claims they can't support!
It is true that in the last two years the engineering employment has improved to a point where it is now, on par with the general employment picture. I used to get one or more unsolicited resumes per week at my business (
www.tomantron.com) until about two years ago.
Hugh, if you have any statistical data that you could show me, that would support your claims regarding the full employment of your students, please let me see them! I know that you refer to co-op programs. Well being a co-op is a shoe in, how about non co-op students!
I also tend to wonder about Jiri's motivation on this. Maybe just some fun before Christmas.
Of course I want to have fun, don't you? But apart from that, call it a Lou Dobbs effect, the man makes me think. I don't have any hidden agenda or bitterness, as they say in baseball: engineering has been very good to me. I have done very well, but that doesn't mean that I have to ignore the rest of the engineering community.
Engineers do not protect their turf, engineering has become a pseudo-profession and engineers have no bargaining power what so ever.
Just because one may have many years of experience, they are NOT engineers. I do believe that the pay scales do not reward those with the years of experience vs those who are right out of college.
But I do sympatize with all those underpaid techs who are doing engineering work. This has been a systemic approach in many Companies in order to avoid hiring engineers and paying a little more.
Yes there is a shortage of good maintenance technicians, capable of doing engineering and not being able to make anywhere near of what a union electrician makes.
Ask yourself a question do you ever hear about shortages of union electricians? I don't, all I hear is that you need to know someone to get into the union. In fact I know of degreed engineers who left electrical engineering and became
union electricians to make some money!
25 years ago Companies used to pay bonuses of hundreds of Dollars if they hired an engineer that you recommended. I doubt that any Company pays bonuses anymore.
30 years ago I went for an interview and started the same day in the afternoon.
That's what you call a shortage of engineers!