Sales guys -- was RE: [sdiy] design experts [OT]

[Barry Klein]

I've been both. Sales guy and engineer.
Sales positives: you get paid for the amount of effort and work you do and
sometimes just luck out bigtime.  Generally, the money is better if you are
any good at it.  Lots of time on your own interrupted by visits by VP's etc.

Sales negatives: travel, Sales VP speaks you jump.  If he is an a-hole your
life is miserable.  Crappy products crappy sales.  You can easily be
replaced
for any number of reasons - so you need to save up for that possibility.

Engineering positives: fun to work on new stuff and be the first out with
it.
Fun to see people like your stuff.  Usually little travel.

Engineering negatives: Can be forced to travel for extended periods of time
teaching others to do what you do better.  Salary fixed.  Sometimes no
reward
for your efforts but the next paycheck.

I am currently the engineer.  I am being threatened with extended travel to
Asia.
I'm paid ok, but no way to make more, and I need more.  We are supposed to
work
Saturdays (no extra pay).

I think once you've been either one you will wonder about self-employment as
an
alternative.  Hard to be successful at it with the economy in this area...
but in
others it could work.  Most sales guys want their own business because they
want
to be fully in charge with no VP telling them what to do etc.  Some
engineers
like playing business politics and look forward to becoming managers.
Others 
get families and see that they need to make money to support them and maybe
there
is a better way...

Barry


-----Original Message-----
From: Bert Schiettecatte [mailto:bert.schiettecatte at esat.kuleuven.ac.be]
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 9:47 AM
To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
Subject: RE: Sales guys -- was RE: [sdiy] design experts [OT]


You're right. It all comes down to what you enjoy doing. It's just that
I don't know what I really enjoy sometimes.. this is getting a little
philosophical. 

It's true that money and a car and a house doesn't make you necessarily
happier, but it does make life a little easier and more comfortable.
Money is power, no matter how you look at it. Finding employment that
lets me do something I like is not very easy, there are no audio related
jobs in Belgium I know of. And I don't want to relocate right now. I'm
at the university currently and that's the best situation I can imagine
for the moment... 

It's just that sometimes I feel a little silly spending all this time
and energy on very difficult to understand things with I'm interested
in, earning less than somebody who doesn't spend his time on it, and
spending less time with friends or less time on relationships and social
life in general (clubs etc) because being an engineer (IMHO) is really
never a 
9-to-5 job but requires constant involvement and training, daytime and
nighttime (if you want to acquire necessary skills over a relatively
short period of time).

Any thoughts on this appreciated, but please email me directly as I
don't want to annoy my fellow list members with this rather off-topic
discussion on the purpose of life :-) 

Bert. 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
[mailto:owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl] On Behalf Of Rude 66
Sent: zaterdag 16 augustus 2003 18:11
To: Bert Schiettecatte; synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
Subject: Re: Sales guys -- was RE: [sdiy] design experts [OT]

yeah, but who cares? having a big job, big car and big house doesn't
necessarily make you happier. i feel i'm much happier at what i do
(writing
about music i like and making music i like), and i don't care that i
don't
make as much money as some of my friends.
 i'd say try to find employment doing something you like to do. if you
like
to tinker with things and build synths, try becoming an engineer. if you
enjoy telling others what to do, become a manager. and if you enjoy
flogging
useless stuff at people who don't need it, become a salesman..;-)

r./




----- Original Message -----
From: "Bert Schiettecatte" <bert.schiettecatte at esat.kuleuven.ac.be>
To: <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 1:01 PM
Subject: Sales guys -- was RE: [sdiy] design experts [OT]


> Exactly. And this is why I wonder every day if I should quit trying to
> be an engineer and switch over to something else. Take some business
> courses and try to find a management or sales job. Switch jobs a few
> times and get a shitload of $$$ for being the social guy. We all laugh
> at these people, but they make more than us (I think).
>
> bert
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: harrybissell [mailto:harrybissell at prodigy.net]
> Sent: zaterdag 16 augustus 2003 2:56
> To: Tim Parkhurst
> Cc: 'Bert Schiettecatte'; synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] design experts
>
> Tim Parkhurst wrote: <snip>
>
> >
> > Hey Bert,
> >
> > By all means, continue your PhD. Chicks DIG guys with PhDs!!!
> >
>
> no...
>
> Chicks dig guys with big... fat.....
> .
> .
> .
> .......checkbooks   :^P
>
> H^) harry
>
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