Re: Re[2]: market intelligence

[DAsmussen@xxxxxxx]

Eric,

In a message dated 98-11-18 11:34:53 EST, you write:

>      You're right, you're right, you're right. I've almost given up on 
>       such things as fair compensation, employee training, etc. I've been 
>       a midranger for 12+ years, and NEVER ONCE sent for training, 
>       conferences, or whatever. I'm single, and have routinely been 
>       offered less pay than my married counterparts, even when they're 
>       relative novices on midrange system. I've been hired for full-time 
>       positions in far-away cities, moved, only to be laid off six months 
>       later after we put out the firecalls. I've been lured into jobs 
>       then left holding the bag when ALL the other programmers left. Most 
>       of the problems I've faced in my "career" ( ;-/ ) have been 
>       directly tied to greed and a desire to take advantage of the 
>       disadvantaged...
<<snip>>

Well, as I advised someone off-line recently, your area has a great deal to do
with that.  Failed jobs 1-3 were in Arkansas, where you had to "know someone
who knew someone" to get a decent job.  I suggested taking jobs with larger
employers or with branches of larger employers in the area.  The downfall of
the latter is that large companies are _EXCRUCIATINGLY_ slow to move for most
of us midrangers, and rather slow pay for consultants that haven't "put back".

Having "known someone who knew someone" since my first job at age 12, I got
fed up and finally sought a job based on my own merits.  Unfortunately, our
"Lord God Protector of the United States of America Who Is Also an Economic
Guru and Always Tells the Truth" had completely _DECIMATED_ the economy of
Arkansas during his tenure as Governor.  To get a job in a reasonable time-
frame without knowing someone, I had to leave family and friends behind to get
a job in the Research Triangle area on my own merits.  You _can_ get a decent
job in the West/MidWest/Southwest region without knowing someone, but you must
be prepared to wait three months longer than everyone else in the country and
flee from "Family Owned Businesses" and "Good Christian People" -- general
buzzwords for "we're going to promise you a lot and deliver little"...

JMHO,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"Acceptance of prevailing standards often means we have no standards of our
own." -- Jean Toomer
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