We hear alot about the politics of jobs being "sent" overseas and lost foever however I don't think the fact that technology is eliminating jobs at an astonishing rate is given enought credit for the loss of middle class jobs in America.
Look at surveying, where are the 3 and 4 man crews? Those missing jobs have nothing at all to do with politics and everything to do with technology.
Consider the new automated electric and water meters, in my town 15 meter readers lost thier job to the automated systems, again nothing at all to do with politics and everything to do with the rapid advancement of technology.
The effect of new technologies allowing society to do more with less is a huge and largely unmentioned component in the jobless situation in America.
I believe that due to the fact that the technological rate of growth is exponential that the problem will only be exacerbated especially with the current business envirionment of extreme oursourcing.
In capitalism there are winners and losers no component of middle ground, and in the future the social divide will grow between two especially as you see the winners leverage the technology more and more against the losers.
yep...
>
> yep...
True (in part)
However, I would argue then, that if what you state is true, then owners & investors of land surveying companies would be flourishing.
But, the owners that I know, have trimmed and have capitalized their assets and have cut all excess and have acquired new technology in the effort to become more profitable. But yet struggle to make a profit.
go figure
Theory in the past was with tecnological advances, we would either be working short work weeks or not have to work at all.
> ...not have to work at all.
Well, that part of the theory seems to be catching on smartly for a lot of folks.
(a) A lot of people are paid a lot of money to design, manufacture, and sell that high tech equipment. It isn't that jobs have disappeared - other jobs have replaced them, often better jobs. Chainmen have pretty much gone the way of buggy whip makers, and slide rule makers.
(b) Some of us had the vision to go high-tech at first opportunity, and we have thrived.
Light Squared is trying to corner a market in GPS.
If the Republicans win the next election and
terminate the Light Squared license, it will be a
short-lived company like Solyndra.
Government produces nothing innovative. Contractors
of the government like Boeing or Motorola may be paid
to be innovative but government does little to disperse
the new technology.
Even Hewlett Packard Civil Engineering Division could not
afford to support the surveying community. Leica couldn't
take HP compter technology and support it. Trimble didn't
want to support TDS. Autodesk can't support surveyors; Carlson
does support and sell to surveyors.
Surveyors are very innovative; even if it is the simplicity
of the HP48, they will use tools to be more productive.
I do not see Light Squared doing anything in GPS that we
do not have already.
> >
> > yep...
>
> True (in part)
>
> However, I would argue then, that if what you state is true, then owners & investors of land surveying companies would be flourishing.
>
> But, the owners that I know, have trimmed and have capitalized their assets and have cut all excess and have acquired new technology in the effort to become more profitable. But yet struggle to make a profit.
>
> go figure
Good observation 6th PM, the explaination to the apparent conundrum you presented is that while surveyors are indeed leveraging technologies within the profession, the world outside the surveying profession is evolving at a very rapid rate.
There are various forces which are at work leveraging against the profitability and even existance of the profession as a whole, the dynamic causing your original conundrum is that the scale of the outside forces leveraging against is such a greater magnatude and scale as compared the concept of the typical surveying business simply leveraging equipment & process technologies within the profession to streamline processes.
