PLEASE AT-T, lay me off...

[krush]

Holy cow, 7 weeks of vacation? Wow, that's like never actually working!

[SKYCHENEY]

The truth is that the most experienced guys are of the most value. You guys never use all of the sick days or vacation. You love to work and you know how to get things done. You also get them done right the first time. I think it was a great decision. I have one guy that works for me that is 73 and he's worked for the company for 43 years. I'll bet he knows more and accomplishes more than any other guy I've got.

[Passages]

Krush,

If you are half as smart as you think you are, please read the real message here.

THERE IS NO LONG TERM SECURITY IN CORPORATE AMERICA.

You are being a good boy in starting your career with a big company who will pay for your training. Excellent! After 3-4 years, you've gotten what you need from them and need TO WORK FOR YOURSELF! The only exception to this is if a senior mgt type takes you under his wing and grooms you for a plant manager position before you hit 29.

(Sigh, I wish I had advise like this when I was 24)

[krush]

My company isn't really that "big". If you include all the subsidiaries (which isn't really part of our business unit) we got ~2000 warm bodies.

But anyway, we had this discussion in person and you are exactly right. I'm here to learn, but I also get paid nicely. My goal is to get into contract work, hopefully during the outage season (spring/fall) and drive piles in the summer.

But anyway, yeah--it's a total different world right now. But I like it better this way. The motivated people advance much faster. Everybody becomes more responsible for their success.

Meanwhile, I'm learning a lot and taken advantage of all that is given to me. But, I also do a good job and make the company money too. We all can be happy LOL try telling that to the unions.

[Trojan]

They want you now until you make top wages. Then they let you go and hire a young person who will work like mad, any hours and work for peanuts. Then when the project is done. Your gone and another youngster starts over. It happens every day now. You don't need a manager or engineer that knows the work. You just need to know who to call to get the work done. Sad but true. Are you listing Krush. Make hay while the sun shines. It's illegal to age discriminate, but its done every day. There are too many young engineers out there now. It's a cut throat job market. If they keep us old workers, 55 on up. It's because there engineering group is too small and they can't afford to loose the only people that know the job despite the high pay. To think unions are not good or worth anything.

BILL