Here's the old experimental del.icio.us bookmarklet to post a site to your del.icio.us page. I don't see this experimental version on the official website anymore. It is so much better than the one they have there now.
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Friday, July 01, 2005
Speaking of jobs...I just read an article (I can't for the life of me remember where) that said according to a recent survey, engineers are not very happy with their careers. They blame this on management's lack of respect for their talents/training and they are typically treated like disposable assets. This despite the fairly high entry barrier to the career.
When asked whether they would encourage their children to go into engineering, the large majority said no, even though they themselves love the work they do. Most said they would encourage their children to go into jobs that could not be "offshored" like medical doctor, lawyer, tradesperson (electrician, carpenter, plumber, etc.).
It's funny how the desire to have a steady income trumps the desire to be happy. Most of the engineers surveyed said they love the work they are doing, but are frustrated by the lack of steady work (layoffs, etc.). Is it better to be doing something you love to do and struggle to make money, or to do something you don't like so much with a steady income and struggle to be happy? Happy is a complex issue here, isn't it? If you can't make enough money to pay for food, you won't be so happy; even if you are thrilled with your work. However, in today's possession crazy society, making just enough money for food and shelter isn't enough. We all know that the size of your TV and the kind of car you drive are just as important as food, don't we? Even just shelter these days is no longer enough. If you don't have your 5,000 square foot bungalow, you don't deserve to be spoken to.
Keeping up with the Joneses has been taken to a new level in our neck of the woods. I am totally amazed by the level of conspicuous consumption happening around me. My 11 year old Honda doesn't even deserve to be on the same road as 99% of the cars in my area. Lexus, Mercedes, and Jaguar are much more common than Ford and Chevy. SUVs can't be run-of-the-mill Expeditions or Suburbans, they have to be Lexus, BMW, Cadillac, or worst of all...Hummer. I love the joke: "I was going to go out and buy a Hummer the other day, but I decided it would be cheaper to tattoo "I need attention" across my forehead."
Even swimming pools are over-the-top. One of my neighbors said he would like to get a pool, but can't afford a monstrous in-ground version and would be embarrassed to get an above-ground pool amidst the 50 foot heated perfectly landscaped in-ground man-made lakes people call pools.
What ever happened to modesty, frugality, and buying only what you need to live? It seems that wastefulness and extravagance are the desired mode of operation. Even if you can afford these lavish things, it is wasteful and unnecessary. All I can say is that I am just glad I don't live in Hollywood where the wastefulness is 1000 times worse. At least the people around me are not as hypocritical as most Hollywood celebs. These celebs make commercials, advertisements, songs about starving people around the world and yet live in 20,000 square foot homes worth $5,000,000. The heating bills alone would provide enough money to feed 1,000 poor children a year.
How did we get to this point? How did we arrive at a society that values "things" more than happiness? Many people think these "things" equate with happiness, but will never realize the two are not one in the same. These people need a good dose of modesty and a chance to live like a poor person for a while.
When asked whether they would encourage their children to go into engineering, the large majority said no, even though they themselves love the work they do. Most said they would encourage their children to go into jobs that could not be "offshored" like medical doctor, lawyer, tradesperson (electrician, carpenter, plumber, etc.).
It's funny how the desire to have a steady income trumps the desire to be happy. Most of the engineers surveyed said they love the work they are doing, but are frustrated by the lack of steady work (layoffs, etc.). Is it better to be doing something you love to do and struggle to make money, or to do something you don't like so much with a steady income and struggle to be happy? Happy is a complex issue here, isn't it? If you can't make enough money to pay for food, you won't be so happy; even if you are thrilled with your work. However, in today's possession crazy society, making just enough money for food and shelter isn't enough. We all know that the size of your TV and the kind of car you drive are just as important as food, don't we? Even just shelter these days is no longer enough. If you don't have your 5,000 square foot bungalow, you don't deserve to be spoken to.
Keeping up with the Joneses has been taken to a new level in our neck of the woods. I am totally amazed by the level of conspicuous consumption happening around me. My 11 year old Honda doesn't even deserve to be on the same road as 99% of the cars in my area. Lexus, Mercedes, and Jaguar are much more common than Ford and Chevy. SUVs can't be run-of-the-mill Expeditions or Suburbans, they have to be Lexus, BMW, Cadillac, or worst of all...Hummer. I love the joke: "I was going to go out and buy a Hummer the other day, but I decided it would be cheaper to tattoo "I need attention" across my forehead."
Even swimming pools are over-the-top. One of my neighbors said he would like to get a pool, but can't afford a monstrous in-ground version and would be embarrassed to get an above-ground pool amidst the 50 foot heated perfectly landscaped in-ground man-made lakes people call pools.
What ever happened to modesty, frugality, and buying only what you need to live? It seems that wastefulness and extravagance are the desired mode of operation. Even if you can afford these lavish things, it is wasteful and unnecessary. All I can say is that I am just glad I don't live in Hollywood where the wastefulness is 1000 times worse. At least the people around me are not as hypocritical as most Hollywood celebs. These celebs make commercials, advertisements, songs about starving people around the world and yet live in 20,000 square foot homes worth $5,000,000. The heating bills alone would provide enough money to feed 1,000 poor children a year.
How did we get to this point? How did we arrive at a society that values "things" more than happiness? Many people think these "things" equate with happiness, but will never realize the two are not one in the same. These people need a good dose of modesty and a chance to live like a poor person for a while.
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