So so so long!

Has it really been that long? Have I really been that busy! In a word, yes. My current major project has taken enormous amounts of time and effort over the last 6 months or more, so anything else has been sidelined. Those out there who know me will understand just what has been going on.

ENGINEERs and the recession.

Of course for many of us the last 12 months or so have been a tough time. Many jobs have been lost and new openings not always easy to identify. Fortunately I was not amongst the job losers, in fact my employer didn't shed any jobs, the factory and admin staff went onto Jobshare (work 4 days a week paid and then get one day of EI) but the professional staff were presented with a nice 10% salary cut "for the duration". The duration turned out to be April to October. But at the same time we were asked to work harder than ever, during this period I worked a number of weekends and I still haven't had my "summer" vacation. At the same time we are asked to be our most productive many of our employers also cut back on capital investment and even on things like software tools. In an era when engineering salaries are under attack by everyone from transit operators (say a streetcar or subway driver) to local librarians we are being asked to take more responsibility and work work longer hours as many in society are heading the exact opposite direction.

For many years it was the skilled tradespeople and the factory workers who need to work a second job to make ends meet. To that list we can now add engineers. More and more of the engineers I speak to are seeking "contract" work to gain the extra income they need. Of course, this doesn't help the situation of the contract designers already out there does it. It will be interesting to see how the situation of the engineer plays out over the next year or two.