> -----Original Message----- > From: Darren [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 5:59 PM > To: Protel EDA Forum > Subject: Re: [PEDA] Spice Simulation (V & I) Probes on Schematic? > > Joe/John, > > Just curious, do you guys work from home doing contract PCB > design? This is something I would like to do if there are > such opportunities.
Darren Although I have an office at home and I do work from here sometimes this is due to personal responsibilities at home which restrict my office availability even although it is only a few miles away. I am a salaried person but also a shareholder in the company I work for. Have been here since 1987 full time and worked with more or less the same people for over 20 years. As part of a team I have to rely on others and they rely on me, no room for slacking, we are all each others motivator/managers. I get calls every day from contract companies and contactors looking for work, I trash some as they are asking for too little, I trash others for asking for over inflated rates and under inflated CV. As yet I have not found one yet that would justify the rates or investment in my time to get their work practices licked into shape. Contracting is a bloody tough game to be in and can sometimes be seriously depressing as I have seen good, skilful guys see it as 'escaping the leash' and have had their efforts thwarted by nothing more than their own lack of skills in marketing and selling themselves or identifying companies with skill gaps they can fill at the right price, and exploiting those needs correctly (to both parties benefit, the secret of longevity). I have seen others who could sell snow to Eskimos and very poor skills indeed, these guys do very well, but tend to 'milk the cow dry' every chance they get and then look for another cow. S... Floats as they say. In this respect the IPC certification programs which list engineers is something I like very much, it's a pity is not a requirement every say 2 years or so to keep it valid, it would weed out a lot of the bogus CV entries I have found! Some of the people I would like I would have to 'head hunt' from other companies. Most of the external work I do is part of a symbiotic relationship with companies we have licensed out reference designs or embedded applications to, they use us as their R&D and we use them for sales, marketing and distribution of products. Although we manufacture our own designs for some people we do not employ any sales or marketing staff at all. This relationship has extended over the past 5-7 years to include work on pre release silicon from some of our suppliers, not customers, for the TV sector including test boards for devices pending tape out, recommendations on pin-outs for the IC so that end clients can rout complex devices on min layer counts and some BGA work. This if done as a contract job would be enough to sustain perhaps 1 - 1 1/2 people (volunteers for the 1/2 ?? :-) ) but the travelling and moving/shaking involved in keeping it is difficult. If you are considering it make sure you get plenty leads and some commitment from companies up front, do not be too fussy on the type of work, bread and butter stuff..... I hope no-one who does contract work takes too much of my pessimistic look at contacting in the wrong way, not all contractors fit into the 2 categories I have painted above and perhaps they can give you a bit more of a real insight into the 'game' than I can. John > > Darren > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Joe Sapienza" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Protel EDA Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 10:33 AM > Subject: Re: [PEDA] Spice Simulation (V & I) Probes on Schematic? > > > > John, > > > > If you are truly getting ready for retirement maybe we can > address you al > > old man Ross??? > > > > The changeover is inevitable, personally I see where the > tool can go and > I'm > > starting to invest my time to it. Working outside a large > company I can > also > > see that if layout doesn't wind up outsourced overseas(US) > those of us > that > > stay in PCB layout/design will do well, I get the > impression that Junior > > engineers are not the same way as some of us have been, > they all sorta > think > > they are bosses, I'm not sure how to accurately articulate > my impressions > of > > the current crop of engineers and I trust this is accurate > enough to > convey > > my impressions. > > > > Joe > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "john" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "'Protel EDA Forum'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 12:06 PM > > Subject: Re: [PEDA] Spice Simulation (V & I) Probes on Schematic? > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Protel Hell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 4:27 PM > > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Subject: Re: [PEDA] Spice Simulation (V & I) Probes on > Schematic? > > > > > > > > I'm doing quite nicely Joe, thanks for asking > > > > > > > > Never left, nor do I intend to, I am fascinated by the people > > > > who choose not to update to DXP2004, are they ostrich's or > > > > dinosours? Or Dodo bird. That is what I want to know. I > > > > installed DXP 2004 a month ago, like it much better than DXP > > > > but still glad I am paid by the hour. > > > > > > I prefer to be a dinosaur and stay at the top of the food > chain than an > > > ostritch running for its life or hiding, but will end up > going the same > > way > > > as the dodo but hoping Ill get to retire first instead of > being retired > by > > > someone else....... (gues who still get a salary...) > > > > > > (sorry, Friday afternoon humour needed) > > > > > > John > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > __________ NOD32 1.794 (20040623) Information __________ > > > > This message was checked by NOD32 Antivirus System. > > http://www.nod32.com > > > > > > > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To leave this list visit: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html * * Contact the list manager: * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Forum Guidelines Rules: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html * * Browse or Search previous postings: * http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
