Comments on: Engineering is a ghetto job even in Japan now http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/05/16/engineering-is-a-ghetto-job-even-in-japan-now/ A posting every day; an interesting idea every three months... Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:14:26 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Mark http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/05/16/engineering-is-a-ghetto-job-even-in-japan-now/comment-page-1/#comment-81521 Mark Sun, 18 May 2008 12:25:44 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/05/16/engineering-is-a-ghetto-job-even-in-jap#comment-81521 I am an engineering manager in a company that has 12,000 engineers. I'm friends with many because I have been doing this for 18 years. I don't know single person that will try to influence their children to become engineers. The long hours, high responsibility, and better pay in other areas outside of the applied engineering areas (Isn't it something to know that I have a friend that sells wine wholesale makes more money?) will decimate the next generation of engineers. Medical, financial, and law fields (and apparently liquor sales) are where the action is at. I think bachelor degrees in engineering still may be useful, but only as a core set of classes to move into Med, Fin, Law, not to work in the engineering field. I am an engineering manager in a company that has 12,000 engineers. I’m friends with many because I have been doing this for 18 years. I don’t know single person that will try to influence their children to become engineers.

The long hours, high responsibility, and better pay in other areas outside of the applied engineering areas (Isn’t it something to know that I have a friend that sells wine wholesale makes more money?) will decimate the next generation of engineers.

Medical, financial, and law fields (and apparently liquor sales) are where the action is at. I think bachelor degrees in engineering still may be useful, but only as a core set of classes to move into Med, Fin, Law, not to work in the engineering field.

]]> By: Fazal Majid http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/05/16/engineering-is-a-ghetto-job-even-in-japan-now/comment-page-1/#comment-81472 Fazal Majid Sat, 17 May 2008 22:18:49 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/05/16/engineering-is-a-ghetto-job-even-in-jap#comment-81472 Every single member of the Chinese politburo was trained as an engineer. Guess that explains a lot about China's rise. Of course, the reason why jobs in finance and banking are so attractive is that they pay disproportionately well compared to the actual smarts involved. There is a premium for boredom, to be sure, but that does not explain all. Why aren't more financial jobs being outsourced to India, for instance? Every single member of the Chinese politburo was trained as an engineer. Guess that explains a lot about China’s rise.

Of course, the reason why jobs in finance and banking are so attractive is that they pay disproportionately well compared to the actual smarts involved. There is a premium for boredom, to be sure, but that does not explain all. Why aren’t more financial jobs being outsourced to India, for instance?

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