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It's tempting to think that the job market works that simply. However, it takes at least 10 years to train a good scientist / engineer. Waiting 10 years is a lu

by Rod 18y ago

It's tempting to think that the job market works that simply. However, it takes at least 10 years to train a good scientist / engineer. Waiting 10 years is a luxury. Moreover, people who choose a career based on earning power tend not to be talented or creative. In other words, people who would be attracted to Science / Engineering if the salaries would rise a bit are exactly the kind of people that make mediocre scientists or engineers.

adamc 18y ago
Link, please. I think you are painting with too broad a brush. Many people are attracted to many things, and economics is one of the factors they use to discriminate between them.
- Rod 18y ago
  My opinion is based on my personal experience, not on anything I have read. Of all the people I met, the ones who achieved the most were driven by a desire to do things, to deliver impact, to create. Of course, people are attracted to many things... and money is a very important motivating factor. I never argued otherwise. My mentor, a former academic turned serial entrepreneur, once told me: "The best engineers in the world are the ones driven by dreams."
- ardit33 18y ago
  I agree with Rod. I witnessed this first hand during the dot-com boom. (i was in school then). I attracted a lot of types "I am going to retire by 25" types, which had no talent. They would soon quit within the year when they hit the wall on the mid-higher level CS classes. My school had a notorious class that you had to take either second semester, or first in Sophomore year, which was challenging, but it went deep down in CS concepts. A lot of people failed that class. They will either try again, or just switch to Business, or Information Technology (watered down CS/bussiness combination. Good for somebody doing IT work at some large corp). Just raising salaries is not a path to get more great engineers. More mediocre ones, yes. I think there is a hard limit in the general population on how many good engineers it can produce.
- aswanson 18y ago
  Someone motivated purely by money will usually be chasing the field after the fact, whereas those that truly love something will likely have been practicing and gaining information and skills in the area for a much longer period of time with greater concentration. It naturally follows that the later entrants will be, on average, of inferior quality. Not in all cases, but probably most.

by Rod 18y ago

adamc 18y ago

Link, please. I think you are painting with too broad a brush. Many people are attracted to many things, and economics is one of the factors they use to discriminate between them.

Rod 18y ago
My opinion is based on my personal experience, not on anything I have read. Of all the people I met, the ones who achieved the most were driven by a desire to do things, to deliver impact, to create. Of course, people are attracted to many things... and money is a very important motivating factor. I never argued otherwise. My mentor, a former academic turned serial entrepreneur, once told me: "The best engineers in the world are the ones driven by dreams."
ardit33 18y ago
I agree with Rod. I witnessed this first hand during the dot-com boom. (i was in school then). I attracted a lot of types "I am going to retire by 25" types, which had no talent. They would soon quit within the year when they hit the wall on the mid-higher level CS classes. My school had a notorious class that you had to take either second semester, or first in Sophomore year, which was challenging, but it went deep down in CS concepts. A lot of people failed that class. They will either try again, or just switch to Business, or Information Technology (watered down CS/bussiness combination. Good for somebody doing IT work at some large corp). Just raising salaries is not a path to get more great engineers. More mediocre ones, yes. I think there is a hard limit in the general population on how many good engineers it can produce.
aswanson 18y ago
Someone motivated purely by money will usually be chasing the field after the fact, whereas those that truly love something will likely have been practicing and gaining information and skills in the area for a much longer period of time with greater concentration. It naturally follows that the later entrants will be, on average, of inferior quality. Not in all cases, but probably most.