Re: "Some" Ada jobs in the Chicago area

[<U54294@uicvm.uic.edu>]

In article <3g3oh1$1fta@source.asset.com>, tannend@source.asset.com (David M. Tannen) says:
>
>Nick,
>>Since I was the original poster for the "Some  Ada jobs in Chicago"
>>note, I think I'll reply to this. My reply:
>>Remarkable!
>>Something tells me that the costs incurred above were passed along to the
>>customer, the American taxpayer. No wonder the American military's
>>degree of readiness is slipping while DoD consumes $265 billion per year.
>Bzzz.  US military readiness can be directly related to budget spent on
>training and literally bullets spent on the range.  That is something I
>learned from AF and Army Cols at my first job.  The US
>Congress/Taxpayers/Adminstration likes to spend DoD $ on big ticket
>things (B-2, Nuclear Aircraft carrier task groups, etc) because they
>bring in jobs.  No one is interested in training and bullets.
>
   You're exactly right. But I haven't heard any military brass turning
down the money for big-ticket items either, and demanding a change in
priorities.

>And before someone like Nick blasts me, most of my career has been spent
>designing training systems (or systems that enhance an existing system).
>
>>And this while defense electronics is downsizing and retooling ;) and
>>thousands of other private-sector programmers and engineers are losing
>>their jobs.
>HUH?  Good software engineers are not lossing their jobs.  You might
>have to move.  You might have to change your career path (ie embedded ->
>application -> embedded).  You might even have to give up your favorite
>language bias (Ada -> C -> Smalltalk -> Ada).  But I seriously doubt
>that thousands of private sector programmers are lossing their jobs.
>
   I've changed my career at least four times in the last six years, and
the changes have been much broader and deeper than just learning a new
programming language. It's the consultant's job to do that. I say that
many thousands are losing their jobs because it's my job to put them out
of work, it's what I do on a daily basis. Whether you consider them to be
"good software engineers" or not is irrelevent. They are human beings and
American citizens, and their country is cutting many of them off.

>I say this after having moved 3 times in the last 6.5 years.  Every time
>I have had nice (sometimes amazing) moving benefits, salary increases
>and sometimes nice title changes.  I attribute this to a couple of
>factors, the first being God's amazing grace.  The second being our
>(myself and my wife) being willing to move to strange and unknown parts
>of the US.
>
   Moving benefits are often paid. I find the ones you mentioned to be
rather beyond the norm, but maybe you're worth it.  But it's outrageous
that benefits on this scale are (perhaps) the norm in military software,
when basic training suffers (as you agree it does), reserve and guard units
are dissolved, and Gulf War vets can't get VA health care for their
service-related problems. Not to mention the Americans sleeping under bridges
and in national forests, many of whom are also veterans.

>
>So Nick either you haven't been working in the field for very long or
>you have been very isolated for a long long time.  Try reading Dilbert
>and if your life is like his its time to start looking for a new job and
>in a new state - it can improve your viewpoint.
>
   I've been working in software for twelve years, on many different
platforms and environments.
   Here are a couple Christian sayings you seem to have forgotten:
      It is easier to pass a camel through the eye of a needle, than for
         a rich man to enter heaven (fron the Sermon on the Mount).
      Blessed are the peacemakers.
>
>--
>David Tannen (tannend@source.asset.com)                 TeamAda Member
>Christian Acronyms: B.I.B.L.E.=Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
>                    G.R.A.C.E.=God's Redemption At Christ's Expense
>                    F.A.I.T.H.=Forsaking all, I trust Him
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| "I would have preferred that | Nick Geovanis     U54294@uicvm.uic.edu |
|    you smell of garlic."     | Consultant                             |
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