From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Wed Sep 13 2000 - 00:44:42 MDT
Spike Jones wrote:
> Loud and long. Many ironies present themselves. For instance
> at Schlockheed, the average raise across the board has been
> about 4%, but the average starting pay for the new guys has
> been increasing by about 6% for a long time, consequently there
> is salary grade compression: the new guys straight outta school
> are being offered starting salaries equal to what I was making
> only 5 yrs ago. If the trend continues, then soon the average
> new guy will be offered the average salary of a veteran. Problem
> is, that isnt enough; they still cant afford to live here on that.
> Meanwhile the veterans, who have owned a home for a long time,
> (and many own rental property on which they are making a
> brutal killing) live quite comfortably.
>
Lockheed is a dinosaur. They will be/are losing their best people to
the highly heated and ultra-salary-competive market. If they don't
raise people at least 10% a year they can expect the brightest to change
jobs every 2 years or less simply to stay at par.
In many high-tech areas, especially software, being a "veteran" isn't
any automatic guarantee of being a better worker/engineeer/scientist
much less of being paid more.
I worry about another problem. Technology is still marching forward. I
support this 101% of course. But, as it advances it automates more and
more job levels. I predict that within 5-10 years it will automate most
of what is called programming today. This is only one example. As we
get more powerful computers at lower cost with more AIish abilities more
and more jobs will fall to them. We had best be thinking really hard
right now about how we plan to have people have a decent life without a
regular for pay job. Despite the current rather slanted rosy
unemployment statistics in the US, the problem is real and it will
eventually hit even many of us.
This technology is supposed to be about a more abundant life for human
beings. When the technology takes over what the human beings had being
doing to support themselves the human beings must still be supported.
Unless you believe these human beings should simply be left on the junk
heap of history. If you do believe that don't come crying when it
happens to you.
- samantha
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