This reminds me of a quote I heard once "The only people who can afford to hire a plumber, are electricians." Maybe we should unionize like them. "The international brotherhood of it workers?"
Jarett ""nrf"" wrote in message [EMAIL PROTECTED]">news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]... > ""Aaron Ajello"" wrote in message > [EMAIL PROTECTED]">news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]... > > IMHO, comparing COBOL and mainframes to networking as a valuable, > marketable > > skill set doesn't follow. COBOL was replaced by VB, C++, ASP and other > > languages. Mainframes were replaced by things like Windows, UNIX and > > Linux. I don't know of something that will replace networking. I'm not > > saying it's impossible, but the comparison doesn't seem right. Cisco > could > > get replaced, but how is networking going to be replaced? Even if > > everything goes wireless, it's still all networked, no? > > Networking will be 'replaced' in the sense that it will fade into the > background. Eventually, networking will be just as reliable as, say, > electric power in your building. It will be just another utility. But when > that happens, you really don't need engineers very much. You just plug > something into a wall socket and it works. OK, if you wanna rewire a > building or something, yeah you gotta call an electrician. But how many > times does that happen? > > > > > > Several people have said R/S isn't such a valuable skill set anymore > because > > people aren't building networks anymore. Maybe that's true, but it > reminds > > me of what someone said when the machine gun was invented. He said it was > > so powerful and destructive that it would bring an end to war. also, > didn't > > bill gates say one time that no one would ever need a hard drive bigger > than > > 16meg, or something like that? > > I don't follow. If people aren't building networks anymore (and they are > not for the total number of networks is actually decreasing now, mostly due > to bankrupt providers getting liquidated), then that necessarily means less > demand for network people. And even if the number of networks remained the > same, that still implies less demand compared to a few years ago when > networks were being built out. Let's face it. You need more people and > more expertise to build a network than to maintain it. That's not to say > that you don't need any expertise to maintain a network, because you > obviously do, but you need less of it. > > And again, I would point to the fact that the many, dare I say the majority > of predictions, actually turn true. Would you tell your kid today to > pursue a career in, say, steel? I didn't think so. But, hey, you could use > the same arguments to say that nobody can predict the future with certainty, > therefore steel might be a great career, etc. etc. And indeed it might be a > great career. But, really now, what are the odds? > > > > > It seems like every time I pick up a tech magazine it's talking about ip > > telephony, internet connected toasters, high speed web enabled cell > phones, > > etc. yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what someone is going to say- "the > > infrastructure is already in place to connect your toaster to the > > internet." But won't more and more internet connected devices necessitate > > more people who know how to connect those things and make them work > together > > quickly, reliably and smoothly? > > Not necessarily - not if everything is truly plug+play and reliable. Ease > of use and reliability implies less need for expertise. Let's be perfectly > honest. The fact that IP networks are still somewhat difficult to configure > and also somewhat unreliable is actually kind of a good thing, because it > means that companies need to keep network guys around. While we may say > that we want a super-reliable and easy to use network, the fact is, we don't > really want that. > > For example, consider this. The latest IT boom implied a massive increase > in the use of electricity. But did that imply a giant boom for > electricians? Hardly. The reason is simple. Electricity is, for the most > part, plug and play, and reliable. You take all your new-fangled systems, > plug them into the wall, and they work. OK, true, there was some increase > in demand for electricians, especially for datacenters and whatnot, but the > increase was mild. > > > Now, don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not trying to bag on electricians. I > have several friends who are electricians, and I respect their profession > and their skill. I'm just using them as an example of the way I think > things are eventually going to go in networking. There will still be jobs, > but not as many as there are today, and the jobs that will be out there will > be for higher-end people, with limited for the novices. Just like the way > electricians are today. > > > > > > > I think at this point in the evolution of info systems, the internet and > > networking it's premature to say anything has reached it's peak and is > > mature. Think of all the homes out there not connected to the internet. > > Think of all the companies out there still not using networks and info > > systems. Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=59468&t=59390 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
