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Re: [OM] change is in the wind

Subject: Re: [OM] change is in the wind
From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:37:50 -0600
>
> Central Texas?
>

ALMOST anywhere.  :)  No, seriously, that woudn't be that bad of a choice.


The only advise I would give you would to not jump ship too soon.  If  your
> employer is offering a package you want to be sure and get it.
>

Agreed. However, I know from past experience that it can take a LONG time
for somebody like me to land someplace in the type of job I want. There is
actually an opportunity for me here in Iowa within the same industry, but
I'm quite ready to jump to a different vertical market. A point is reached
where I've been there, done that to a great extent within an industry and I
get awefully bored just maintaining or doing the same thing day after day. I
DON'T fly desks.

My two biggest assets are also considered among my two biggest liabilities:
 I'm an extreme out-of-box thinker and I'm bored if I'm not being creative.
Those two traits, though, are easily applied to trouble-shooting, of which
I'm also very strong in. I could give you a case in point from earlier this
week--a situation where the equipment provider was dumbfounded when we
figured out the cause and solution to a rather obscure and random problem
that was anything but obvious. It required a substantial reverse-engineering
of the technology. As you all are well aware, I can come up with some really
hair-brained ideas, but amazingly enough, the majority of my hair-brained
ideas actually end up getting implemented.

Another asset (and potential liability) is that I'm an extremely quick
learner. If I can grasp the concept of something, I'm off and running and
devouring every bit of information on the subject I can get. Sometimes,
though, getting the concept down is a bit of a challenge if it doesn't seem
logical to me.  If the logic doesn't compute, I'm a lost puppy.

So, what are my interests and if I could have a dream job what would it be?
 Obviously, photography, but audio and acoustics slam dunk that as far as my
overall knowledge and skill. But the one thing which trumps it all is
aviation. There was a day when that was my primary interest and I studied
everything I could get my hands on in aerodynamics and avionics. LOL, a wee
bit ahead of my time, I know, but my middle-school science fair project was
an electric airplane. It was a given that batteries were heavy so I used
electrolytic capacitors instead. The benefit was that the exhaust of the
engine wouldn't enter the upper atmosphere. Unfortunately, the questions
were about efficiency (generating plants not any more efficient than
gasoline engines when considering distribution and energy storage and
conversion) as global warming wasn't thought of yet. This was 1978,
remember? I did run into a problem with take-off and climb power and
duration, so I did come up with a hybrid approach where a secondary motor
powered a generator.  The only industry really using that technology at the
time was the railroad industry! Anyway, the idea was too far out and
polluting the atmosphere was still one of those things where society hadn't
even thought of as being a bad thing yet so I got an honorable mention but
didn't get to go to state finals. Obviously the concept airplane was
small--about the size and shape of the Cirrus SR20 except it required no
engine cooling ducts. About seven years later I built an electric-powered
model airplane and did power it with capacitors! Worked pretty good,
actually, except I crashed and destroyed it--man, did I get zapped when I
picked up the wreckage. After that I got into kites. Oh, and finally (yeah
right), I absolutely love solar energy, but that's been a side interest
never developed.

I would have pursued a career in something of the above but got an
opportunity in the audio and broadcast industry and spent the next 12 years
in that.  Life circumstances got me into the telecom industry ten years ago
and now I know more about fiber-optic communications than I ever really
wanted to know...

As to destination, we as a family will have to agree on wherever it is, but
for the first time in our lives we're all willing to consider places both
far and near--as long as it's safe and women can drive. Prefer the ability
to speak the English language, though.

AG (eclectic) Schnozz
-- 
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