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 This
story, submitted by RF Cafe visitor Jerry L., of Cincinnati, OH, reminds
me of a certain manager in a popular engineering comic strip. Do you
have a good work-related anecdote to share? Please
email it
to me for consideration. Thanks.
Jerry Writes: I worked in the defense electronics
industry for my entire career and it is hard to think of a project in
more than four decades that was not made infinitely more difficult due
to the 'helpful' input of project managers. One experience in particular
comes to mind as a perfect topic for your Out of Order feature.
In the mid 1970s I was a "fresh-out," as new engineering college
graduates were called at the time. Newly minted as a Masters degreed
electrical engineer, my aspirations were high and I was ready to set
the mobile radio system world on fire. A synergistic combination of
my own zeal and aptitude (I earned my Ham license at age 16) with that
of a seasoned engineer mentor, I reasoned, would launch me on a path
to success. After all, the grueling series of interviews I was put through
by those who would likely be my project teammates gave me a good taste
of what to expect after graduation in the spring. I was asked questions
on filter responses, amplifier stability, and Smith Charts. Sweat flowed
like a river, but I passed muster or the job offer would not have been
made.
 Day
one consisted mostly of human resources in-processing, filling
out paperwork to get my DoD security background check started, and meeting
managers and co-workers. I was taken to my combination office space/lab
area. Things were looking good. There were no computers sitting on desks
in those days, but there was a drafting table conveniently situated
for drawing schematics and mechanical assemblies (which would later
be put in final official form by approved draftsmen). Day two arrived
and I found myself sitting at my desk all day reading through policy
manuals and 'familiarizing' myself with the way the company did things.
So, too, went day three, and day four, and day five. After finally inquiring
as to why I had been seemingly relegated to permanent desk duty, I was
informed confidentially by the guy who was supposed to have to be my
mentor that the program manager's son, also a fresh-out, had been hired
that same week with no interviewing process that anyone knew of. Without
notice, explanation, or apology, Sonny was given my promised position
and I was now hanging in the lurch while Dad tried to find some other
program manager to pawn me off on. Unbeknownst to me, a layoff had occurred
a couple weeks prior to my arrival and all the engineering staff was
trimmed to the bone, with no budget to take on new team members. What
a crappy introduction that experience was to the world of engineering.
Fortunately, I lived in the area and did not have to sign an agreement
to stay for any period of time (no relocation expenses to pay back),
so I immediately began searching for a new job. Wanting to stick with
the defense systems field, the other companies in the area that did
similar work were tapped, and I soon found a new position where I was
taken 'under the wing' of a truly great engineer. Over the next couple
years many guys from the other company appeared at my new company, and
all had awful stories to tell about their experiences there. My story
has a happy ending because I remained at that new company for 25 years
before moving on only because I wanted to try out a new aspect of radio
engineering that was not a option there. Things could have turned out
a lot worse. I suspect a lot of people could tell similar stories based
on the tales I've heard over the years.
Posted January 21, 2014
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