What do you do and where?

[Phildo]

Funny I never noticed this either.

Age: 25

Location: Orlando, FL

Right now, I'm getting an associates degree in Recording Arts.

And, as it somehow relates to the previous topic, my lab this month involved learning how to make web pages in Adobe GoLive and basic shit with Photoshop.  I finish the assignment in 30 minutes and have to sit there for 2 hours while the rest of the class catches up.  Don't even bother asking why we're studying this at a recording school.  I can't quite grasp it myself.

[schild]

It's still a business. They need to force you through classes that are simply a money grab. Much like most of the "core" courses you take to get a liberal arts degree. Diversity. Hah.

[Driakos]

And, as it somehow relates to the previous topic, my lab this month involved learning how to make web pages in Adobe GoLive and basic shit with Photoshop.  I finish the assignment in 30 minutes and have to sit there for 2 hours while the rest of the class catches up.  Don't even bother asking why we're studying this at a recording school.  I can't quite grasp it myself.

Full Sail?

[Phildo]

Full Sail.  And all kidding aside, it's actually a requirement for their accredidation.

[Signe]

Full Sail.  And all kidding aside, it's actually a requirement for their accredidation.

So, all kidding enabled, when will you be accredidated?

[Driakos]

Full Sail.  And all kidding aside, it's actually a requirement for their accredidation.

I graduated from Full Sail with a Computer Animation degree.  It was a pretty good program.  I remember the audio students having a rough time with the scheduling once we all got past the same generic classes.

[Phildo]

I hope so.  Right now, I'm bored off my ass.  Maybe 24 hours of class per week and nothing to do in the meantime.  They keep dangling the threat of 1 AM labs over our heads, but I haven't seen any yet.

[cmlancas]

I live in Tampa and I almost went there after I struggled through USF for a few semesters in the business program. It was so over-hyped here that I was scared to go to the school; FMU had a bad rap around here for about the same thing.

I figured I'd do what I like (English) and I hope one day when I move out to California I can get my foot in the door as a good technical writer. I at least have a conference paper under my belt, but I hear it is stiff over there ><

[Chimpy]

And, as it somehow relates to the previous topic, my lab this month involved learning how to make web pages in Adobe GoLive and basic shit with Photoshop.  I finish the assignment in 30 minutes and have to sit there for 2 hours while the rest of the class catches up.  Don't even bother asking why we're studying this at a recording school.  I can't quite grasp it myself.

You would be amazed how much you use little things that are not "core" to your course of study when you are working in the entertainment business. Believe me, I took classes I thought were absolutely worthless in college and I have used the knowledge I got from them a number of times, and they were no where near as practical as what you are describing.

Sure you may know all that stuff already, but a good number of people in your class may not. And in this age of digital portfolios, knowing a little bit about web design and graphics manipulation could mean the difference between getting a job and not for some of them.

As someone who has worked in the business and knows people in all areas of it, every little bit of technical knowledge helps :)

[Phildo]

I agree with you completely.  My gripe is really that the test to get out of the class was ridiculously hard (i clearly failed it), and yet having to spend a month learning what I could've picked up in two or three days seems like a colossal waste of time/money.  And when it comes down to the photoshop and web building stuff, we had to follow a rigid list of directions so that everyone makes essentially the exact same page, and if we finish early, we have to sit there for the duration of the (4 hour) class.  Okay, so it might be good to know this stuff at some point, but how about having something for those of us that have already seen this stuff before?

(Incidentally, the hottest girl I've seen at this school was picking up a textbook on MySQL.  I think I'm missing out on something)

[Raging Turtle]

God damn I love teaching sailing (and windsurfing).

[Phildo]

Full Sail.  And all kidding aside, it's actually a requirement for their accreditation.

So, all kidding enabled, when will you be accredidated?

The only thing I could be possibly be accredited for is Awesome Time.  Schild, I'm bringing it back!

[schild]

We have nothing but awesome time here at the house.

We've got surplus.

[Margalis]

To derail to a previous point of conversation, in my field, computer science, I view PhDs as almost a negative. Given two equal resumes, I'd rather hire the one without the PhD.

[cmlancas]

Simply put, why? Is writing a dissertation that much of a colossal waste of time?

[Selby]

PhD's walk on water around here.  Especially those with algorithm focused specialties, they can do no wrong.

[Murgos]

I work for a major multinational engineering firm but I am working out of a major educational center not-for-profit lab.  Not surprisingly, there is much more emphasis on Ph.D's at the educational lab then at the engineering firm.

There are Ph.D's at the engineering firm but they have their focus, they handle high level problems of a specific well defined type.  Either there is work for them to do in their area of expertise or there isn't.  When there is a lack of work then they have to make work by doing burden projects and research (which cost monies).  In contrast, an engineer with less 'qualifications' will be seen as an asset that can be used to a greater or lesser degree in various roles moving between the different elements of their discipline.

Someone with a BS or MS in a particular engineering discipline is seen as being a generic block to be inserted into the process that can be molded to specific purposes with a little specialized training.  A PhD on the other hand is seen as a very expensive custom tool that has to be used optimally to gain the most value from.

At the lab, on the other hand, you are just sort of seen as playing around and not worth actually giving a serious task unless you have a PhD.  You really aren't even considered to have a useful opinion regardless of your work history or expertise in any given field.

[Viin]

My wife is looking for a field sales job based in Colorado if anyone knows of any.  :-D

[Margalis]

Yeah Murgos has it basically right. A lot of Ph.D's are either unwilling or unable to take on a range of jobs, and a lot of their "getting stuff done" skills have atrophied. Install some software? Actually program something? Solve a highly technical issue? No thanks.

Of course that is a broad generalization, but for the most part Ph.D's seem to do well on high-level algorithm/research stuff, which we don't have much of at my company.

[Selby]

Someone with a BS or MS in a particular engineering discipline is seen as being a generic block to be inserted into the process that can be molded to specific purposes with a little specialized training.  A PhD on the other hand is seen as a very expensive custom tool that has to be used optimally to gain the most value from.

Funny.  At my company (a private corporation) we have a ton of MS people (like me) who do a variety of jobs and end up making the modules and systems work.  We have nothing but PhDs for managers.  That is right.  The fucking management all have PhDs.  And their interpersonal skills are so lousy.  It's like their solution is to belittle people who disagree until they quit or follow in line.  Luckily my group doesn't have this issue - we're somewhat specialized and none of the upper management short of the CTO and one of the co-founders of the company really understand the part of the system we're responsible for (which makes it hard for the 5V signal and codewarrior groups to kick us around).  We're MSes with one PhD who has zero communication skills (so he doesn't get much too generic or program oriented) and two very experienced BSes.  And the ones with the BS degrees are MORE social and better communicators than the MS and PhD (excluding me, and I'm an anti-social bastard).  When I've worked with the big bosses who belittle, I just flat out roll my eyes and let them do the analyzing and make the decisions (then correct what is really the problem later).  I see everyone else do the same thing: not disagree but say "well so-and-so believes that is the problem so that's what it is."  Lots of bizarre sub-electron nano level hardware "causes" of "problems" when the reality is that the software just isn't doing what it is supposed to.  Hey, it makes them feel good and then they don't feel like firing me, so why rock the boat too badly?  Then when the problem isn't that, I can just point and say "hey, you said that's what it was."  Amazing how I went from rebel without a clue to corporate drone in less than 3 years.  I just can't take it too seriously.

At the lab, on the other hand, you are just sort of seen as playing around and not worth actually giving a serious task unless you have a PhD.  You really aren't even considered to have a useful opinion regardless of your work history or expertise in any given field.

This is so true it hurts.  You can actually get called\promoted to "an engineer" at a national lab if you have been at the place for 25-30 years with a VERY good track record for problem solving, and even still the 25 year old kid who just got his PhD in dicking around fresh out of school is going to be making as much if not more than you, even if all he does is sit around and play solitaire all day.  "But he has a PhD and we have to respect him."  Yeah fucking right.  My dad is angry that I didn't get my PhD, but he wasn't paying for college and I really didn't feel like spending more time in school for yet another piece of paper.  Sometimes I wish I had done it, but then I'd have to work at a national lab or research position (or be middle management at my company ;-) ) and I'm not sure I could stand not actually seeing the fruits of my labor delivered to customers.  It's kind of cool seeing a product you were intimately involved on and had a major hand in the design of get delivered to an end user and be used to generate millions of dollars of revenue (while you get none of it).  Or cynical, whatever!

[Abagadro]

It's like their solution is to belittle people who disagree until they quit or follow in line. 

Once I complete my PhD I'm going to do this to everyone regardless of situation.

Apropos of nothing, I have run into a well-entrenched bureaucrat in my new gig as a government attorney that treats me like a moron. We discuss simple amortization schedules and she feels the need to condescendingly explain how positive and negative numbers work on the balance sheet. I want to scream "I DO BINOMIAL LOGARITHMIC  LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSIS ON A REGULAR BASIS THAT YOU WILL NEVER EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND," but I refrain.

[Engels]

I want to scream "I DO BINOMIAL LOGARITHMIC  LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSIS ON A REGULAR BASIS THAT YOU WILL NEVER EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND," but I refrain.

That's like when study two logs falling uphill ya?

[Ironwood]

In order to determine if they make a sound ?

[Nicodemus]

Hey, I read some of your stuff over at ktr. I thought it was awesome, and you should post more :)

Hehe, thanks Wolf! Sometimes I wonder if anyone actually reads my rants outside of a few regulars. I posted something I thought was rather scandalous and laced with subtle sarcasm. It barely managed 5 comments (one of them mine haha). Anyway, thanks for reading!

Robert / Nicodemus

[schild]

It barely managed 5 comments (one of them mine haha).

I've read KTR a few times.

I just hate single-user blogs. Diaries belong on a desk, not on the internet.

[Murgos]

Now tell him what you think about his mother.

[Nicodemus]

Single user blog? What are you talking about?

Here, let me post the link again, just in case. www.killtenrats.com

I am one of several people that post there, so its not quite a single user blog. Unless you mean that each contributer is a single person instead of multiple people sharing the same login. Or perhaps you mean that only people with multiple personality schizophrenia should write blogs (which seems to be pretty common actually).

Whatever.

[schild]

All this time I never noticed the users.

[Lantyssa]

We're not schizophrenic!

(Too cliché?)

[Etro]

I graduated today so I am now an unemployed Scottish bum with a BSc Hons in Interwebz studies (internet information systems).

Wheres that pub!

[Cheddar]

If you are in the Hampton Roads, are familiar with computers, want earning potential of 60k+ per year, want full medical (paid for), and would like to work for a large telecom who may or may not take over the world a la Terminator style pm me.  We are about to hire some people and this may be your chance to get in the door!

Downside: job is in Newport News.

[schild]

Downside: job is in Newport News. the slums of Virginia. If you've never been there, there's a reason.

Eeeeeek. NN sucks.

[Strazos]

Don't they build large boats there as well?

[Cheddar]

Downside: job is in Newport News. the slums of Virginia. If you've never been there, there's a reason.

Eeeeeek. NN sucks.

True that.  I live across the water in Chesapeake; I was tempted to move to Suffolk but we ended up finding a decent plot of land in an extremely nice neighborhood.  Until we moved into the neighborhood the "New" people had been here 7 years.  Hopefully by the time I retire we will be official :)

Don't they build large boats there as well?

Extremely.  Northrop and Grumman do billions of dollars in business here.  The ships are almost unreal.

[Raging Turtle]

Hey, I like boats.