Greetings dahnuguy ...
Ron, I have read enough of your posts to see that you are genuinely interested in getting at the truth of the matter and I have not seen anything you have written that would lead me to believe you are here for anything other than to help others, keep your own troubleshooting skills sharp, stay in touch with what’s going on "on the ground" and maybe to promote your business a little.
actually the “business promotion” angle (believe it or not) is not really part of the master plan ... I make no secret about what I do for a living, but over the years I’ve gotten less than a handful of paying customers from my exposure on the forums ... most of my work comes from marketing directly to larger industrial plants - not from individuals reading the forums and trying to learn PLCs on their own ... my prices are rather “steep” for an individual to pay out of his household budget - but still quite in line with what an employer should be willing to invest in getting his employees trained up to an effective level ...
anyway ... I joined the forums several years ago when I was working for an Allen-Bradley distributor - as inside technical support ... the forums quickly became one of my favorite “spare time” hobbies ... now that I’m self-employed, I still keep up with a couple of forums - mainly because I enjoy it ... (realizing that it could become somewhat “addictive” is one major reason why I refuse to have an internet connection at home) ...
So if I ever did read you the wrong way, I would ask and give you the benefit of the doubt before assuming some other motivation.
I appreciate that ... I usually spend a LOT of time writing - and then rewriting my comments before I actually post them ... it’s incredibly easy to be misunderstood by what we write in a forum like this ... where “tone of voice” helps in a face-to-face situation, the words we type can often give the wrong impressions of what we meant to say - and how we meant it to be taken ...
fun, yes ... absolutely ... and rewarding ... it’s also the most mentally demanding job that I’ve ever had ... the hardest part for me is showing “experienced” technicians that a LOT of what they “know” about the subject matter is actually wrong - and misleading ... well, actually the “showing” part is quite easy - a demonstration with a spare PLC and a few switches and lamps can take care of that ... but the trick is to do it “gently” - but “firmly” ... convincing someone that they’ve had misconceptions about something for many years - without appearing to be insulting or demeaning - can be extremely challenging ... especially in a more-or-less public classroom with other students listening in ... the best approach I’ve found is to make the class something like a game - with each student competing in a FRIENDLY manner against the others - and against the instructor (me) ... I’ve been told many times by neighbors in other offices down the hall that my classes sound more like a super bowl party than technical training ... the “fun” that you mentioned is definitely a big part of that ...
Right now I am challenged by Siemens Step7. You ever use S7?
nope ... zero experience on that one ... someone asked me the other day why all I teach is Allen-Bradley ... the honest answer is that AB is the only brand that I’ve ever been asked to do ... if a sizeable market happened to materialize for Siemens, then I’d go straight to my chief financial advisor (wife Wanda Faye) and try to coax enough money out of the bankroll to set up a new course ...
I tend to think of myself as sort of “semi-retired” these days ... Wanda Faye and my accountant are constantly reminding me that it’s OK to have fun, but I’m still expected to bring in an income ...
While looking over your site I was struck by your offer to veterans. More companies should have this outlook. Not a handout or charity but a chance.
I remember several years ago (back when we still had a TV set) listening to a newscaster make the following observation:
suppose that you take a helicopter ride over the scene of a disaster ... say a terrorist attack - a fire - an earthquake - a battle ... once you get up high enough, the people all begin to look like little ants - all of them running away - in a rapidly spreading circle - with the center of the circle located at the site of the disaster ...
but if you look closer, you’ll see that there are a few - just a few - of the ants who are actually running directly TOWARD the center of the disaster ... those are what we call “heroes” ... you can actually watch them fighting their way upstream against the flow of humanity - willingly putting themselves in danger - risking their own lives to save and protect the other ants who might not otherwise get away safely ...
now it might sound “corny” to some people - but “duty” is a big word in my book - and personally I hold an immense respect for the “heroes” around us that are willing to serve ... so far I’ve only had one veteran who’s been able to take me up on my offer - but hopefully (prayerfully) the world situation will change enough to allow others to come in the near future ... I would consider it an honor to have them attend - with no expectation of any “payment” beyond what they’ve already given ... when you get right down to it, providing a week of PLC training in an air-conditioned classroom isn’t much at all in comparison ...
well, things are slow right now ... it’s the end of an old year - with a new one coming up in just a day or so ... thanks for the conversation ... stop by the next time you’re down this way ...