To beat further, ensuring the horse is truly dead-- Look at your telephone. Think about all the features (which really are features, unlike some software "features" we all know and love). When the power goes out, you can pick up the phone and still get dial tone. The total lag time on a typical PSTN call from one coast of North America to the other is ~70ms, last I saw it measured; in that time it passed through dozens of switches on a dedicated circuit which was dynamically created for that call, and was torn down immediately after it ended.
The simpler the technology is to use for the average consumer, the more complex the system behind that facade. Virtually everyone can make a phone call, including toddlers who know to call 911. What makes that system work is a lot of design and implementation with careful and thorough testing -- in other words, a lot of network engineering. The "grunt work" of networking will evolve, as it has for every other technology, but those who understand what happens and why that happens will still have work -- if nothing else, from cleaning up other peoples' messes. Annlee ""Priscilla Oppenheimer"" wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > If networking really becomes that simple for the consumer, it's because of > all the work we have done (and continue to do) to hide the complexity. > Networking isn't going to magically become simple. For it to become simple > for users will take a huge amount of work by the network engineers. That > will be well-paid work. > > The point of the article was that the technologies to make it work will > continually change. You better know more than just one technology. The > person who sent me the article sent it to me to point out the silliness of > insisting that Visual Basic is the number one skill that univeristy computer > science students should learn (something that we hear where I work > part-time, believe it or not! ;-) > > I've noticed that students who have the "soft skills" of business planning, > talking to users, etc. are considered inferior to the guys (it is mostly > guys unfortunately) who have the stamina to code heads-down for 36 hours > straight. (A student boasted to me that he did that. I bet his code sucked!? > :-) The point of the aricle was that being able to code in a specific > language won't help you if you can't understand why the code is important to > a business' success. > > One other quick (hopefully quick!) point: I find it funny that you compare > networking to being as easy as programming a VCR. Huge numbers of people > can't program their VCR! > > There will still be a lot of work required to help non-computer people use > their computers and networks. Perhaps as the younger generation takes over, > that won't be the case... But that same generation, who grew up with > computers, is probably going to come out with some really cool new > technology that won't be easy to use in its first few iterations. So there's > going to be lots of work in tech support, helping users, etc. (though that > work isn't too fun for a lot of people, I realize). > > I didn't see the article as being negative at all, partly since the bad news > about the job market might be changing, but mostly because it had some good > ideas about rather easy things you can do to ensure success (such as > figuring out what the business does and why it needs your skills, etc.) > Well, I'm rambling now for sure, so I'll stop now. Annlee said this all much > better in her response a couple days ago! :-) > > Priscilla > > Riley wrote: > > > > Wow, Chuck, way to suck the life out of the economy and our > > futures...oh, > > wait, that was due to the bubble popping lo all those years > > ago. For an > > assessment of networking futures, let's turn to > > Lovecraft...(thanks to > > www.Cthulhu.org) > > > > "It seemed to be a sort of monster, or symbol representing a > > monster, of a > > form which only a diseased fancy could conceive. If I say that > > my somewhat > > extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an > > octopus, a > > dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to > > the spirit of > > the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and > > scaly body > > with rudimentary wings; but it was the general outline of the > > whole which > > made it most shockingly frightful. " > > > > We know the pulpy head has been popped... > > > > Sadly, though, I believe that you are right on the > > money...networking and > > its advanced features are becoming more point-button simple. I > > figure that > > we got about 10 years at the most before the bottom truly drops > > out and > > networking becomes as simple and mindless as programming your > > VCR or > > TiVo...you don't need assistance anymore. > > > > As far as for myself, I am currently working on developing my > > people skills > > as I do want to attain senior greeter status...the handing out > > balloons and > > talking is really tripping me up...does anyone want to form a > > study group > > with me to study that? > > > > Charles > > > > > > > > ""Priscilla Oppenheimer"" wrote in > > message > > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > The Road Goes Ever On wrote: > > > > > > > > ""Priscilla Oppenheimer"" wrote in > > > > message > > > > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > Someone also just sent me a URL to this newspaper article > > > > that points out > > > > > the importance of learning business practices, not just > > > > particular > > > > > technologies. It's a good read: > > > > > > > > > > http://www.startribune.com/stories/789/3936460.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > An interesting artivcle, and one with some nuggets of good > > > > advice, > > > > particularly for those new to the business cycle. For those > > who > > > > have been > > > > seeing articles like this over the past twenty years or so, > > > > this article > > > > reinforces good advice, much along the lines that NRF has > > > > offered in other > > > > threads that appear regularly on Groupstudy. Good advice is > > > > timeless, and > > > > the advice in this article, which reiterates similar > > outlooks > > > > as have > > > > appeared in the business press over the past couple of > > decades > > > > remains true. > > > > > > > > Way back when I was learning things and formulating my own > > > > technology > > > > philosophy, I was blown away by three things I read - Peter > > > > Keens book > > > > Competing in Time, Paul Strassman's book The Business Value > > of > > > > Computers, > > > > and an obscure article written by an economist working for > > the > > > > Chicago > > > > Federal Reserve Bank. Each of these sources in its own way > > says > > > > similar > > > > things from a higher level. The Fed study was a short and > > > > simple one, but of > > > > all the business sources I have read, still seems the most > > > > relevant. The > > > > gist of the study was that investment in infrastructure > > yielded > > > > high returns > > > > in productivity. The author was reporting on government > > > > investment in > > > > physical infrastructure such as roads, water treatement, and > > > > the like, but a > > > > clever studentworking towards his master degree while going > > to > > > > night school > > > > ran with that theme and wrote a master's thesis which > > earned him > > > > departmental honors. > > > > > > Was that you? :-) Sounds interesting. > > > > > > Thanks for commenting on the article. I thought it made some > > good points. > > > > > > Priscilla > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Anyone in the technology field, whether it be IT Management, > > > > Consulting, or > > > > even something as seemingly mundane as sales, should ALWAYS > > be > > > > aware of the > > > > business value of technology. Over the past 15 years or so > > it > > > > has been > > > > technology which has driven productivity. > > > > > > > > The dark side is that technology changes, and has a way of > > > > becoming more > > > > appliance like, meaning that what as skilled labor > > yesterday is > > > > out of the > > > > box tomorrow. Thin about it. All you folks who are AVVID > > > > experts and > > > > therefore in high demand. How long before AVVID is nothing > > more > > > > than another > > > > PBX, and routers self configure for QoS? Think the telco > > > > employee who drives > > > > the truck and installs your DSL is making 100K? not likely. > > > > > > > > So yes - keep your skills up to date, so you don't end up > > like > > > > the guy in > > > > the article. My own opinion is that one must always consider > > > > the value to > > > > business for any skill set one pursues. > > > > > > > > JMHO > > > > > > > > NRF - your comments are always welcome on topics such as > > these. 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