Re: Interesting

[nick markowitz <nmarkowitz@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Dec 23, 3:24=A0pm, Jim <alarmi...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Dec 23, 7:50=A0am, "ABLE1" <royboynos...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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> > "nick markowitz" <nmarkow...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>
> >news:a86c2c31-bad3-42dc-987e-5dd6ae9af6bc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > On Dec 23, 2:58 am, Jim <alarmi...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > > On Dec 22, 10:21 pm, "ABLE1" <royboynos...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > > > Jim said:
> > > > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> > > > Mine is practical and hands on.
> > > > I've always thought I would have made a good engineer, as I have th=
is
> > > > automatic basic understanding of how most things work and I've alwa=
ys
> > > > had "good hands" . But .... some people just don't get all the
> > > > talents necessary towards their preferred endeavors. Me? really bad=
 at
> > > > math. Just couldn't remember the formulas. So I stuck to the techni=
cal
> > > > end, and following the good advice of a mentor, I got into the
> > > > business end of electronics and used my innate knowledge of how thi=
ngs
> > > > work to out-shine most of the other people in sales and marketing.
> > > > Ultimately finding that I had a talent that had been hidden from
> > > > me ..... the gut's and ability to utilize all the things I learned =
in
> > > > big business ..... to run my own business. Took off the three piece
> > > > suit and have been crawling in attics and crawl spaces ever since. =
I
> > > > just have to know how every thing works and can be made to work bet=
ter
> > > > or
> > > > how to fix it.
> > > > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>
> > > > Geezzzz Jim, sounds like you have been plagiarizing my bio. :-)
> > > > Either that or we are clones. :-) :-) Except for the sound thing
> > > > you do, almost scary to think.
>
> > > > Les
>
> > > But, ya know ..... it took me a long ...... long time to realize that
> > > I can do things that lots and lots of other people can't do. For some
> > > reason, for a good portion of my life, I thought that just because * =
I
> > > * could figure out how things worked and was able to "fix"
> > > things ..... I thought that everyone could do that and that I was jus=
t
> > > sort of average. After lots of years and being able to make money
> > > doing what I like to do ... did I finally come to realize how many
> > > people just don't know how to do what I can do. And it's not only
> > > because they're not interested in it ..... they just really can't do
> > > it! People like us are not necessarily unique ... it's just that ther=
e
> > > are few enough of us to make it worth while.
>
> > > I realized this when one of my early customers said something to me,
> > > just off the top of his head.
>
> > > I had this kid working for me for a few months and he just couldn't
> > > get things straight. Couldn't remember where anything in the van was,
> > > Couldn't learn to strip a wire and so on. I was getting ready to tell
> > > him I was letting him go at the end of the week because I was beginin=
g
> > > to get angry at him. While on a job with him my customer noted that I
> > > was being abrupt with the kid and when the kid went out to the van, m=
y
> > > customer asked me if I was having trouble with him and I used the
> > > opportunity to tell him all the things the kid couldn't do. The
> > > customer said something, very simple to me that just turned on a
> > > light. He said ..... Jim, if he could do what you can do ...... he'd
> > > be doing it.
>
> > > It was right then that I realized that I could do things other people
> > > actually *couldn't* learn to do. It's not that they don't want
> > > to ...... they just cant do it. I thought about it for awhile and, I
> > > guess, up till then I had always thought that I couldn't catch on to
> > > higher math, not because I just couldn't do it, but because I didn't
> > > try hard enough. With those few little words from my customer, it sor=
t
> > > of opened up all the doors in my life from that point on.
>
> > > Just one of those revelation turning points in a persons life.
>
> > I have to agree with you guys =A0I also can build and design and troubl=
e
> > shoot =A0like no one else as well. But I also have all kinds of
> > schooling as well which allowed for the cross training. which includes
> > locksmith, plumbing, refrigeration, electrical wiring and electronics,
> > welding,machining =A0,fabricating etc. =A0which allows me to figure out
> > things others can not. You also have to have the mind capable of doing
> > the research and study to get the job done as well. =A0So many want to
> > do a cookie cutter approach instead of =A0taking that extra step to
> > really look at a problem and come up with correct solutions . not
> > excuses.
>
> > LOL
>
> > I wonder what would happen if "us types" were in the same room
> > working on the same project?? =A0Would we get it done or kill each othe=
r in
> > the process??
>
> > Another interesting concept.
>
> > Les-
>
> The research thing is something that I do also. Before a job with
> equipment that I'm not familiar with or haven't used for awhile, I'll
> download the instructions, study them, get on discussion groups and
> ask questions. Do layouts and write notes so that I'm not spending
> time, under pressure, on the job under the eyes of the client trying
> to figure things out. Do a parts and materials list so I've got all
> the things I need without having to make runs to Home Depot or a
> distributor. I've learned to do "production" style installations where
> I'm doing all the same operations in stages for the sake of
> efficiency. Every job is a new puzzle to figure out and a challange to
> complete in the least amount of time and better than the last one.
>
> I don't think we'd be at odds with each other though.
> I don't know too many people in this world that I can sit down or work
> with ( and that includes most of the other alarm installers I know)
> and really get to talk "Tech" with. Most only know one thing and even
> at that, some of the methods they use .... you can tell ..... are just
> something that someone showed them how to do .... and they've never
> improved on it. I categorize them as the =A0" it's good enough" group.
> When I get a customer that's Techie I really enjoy sharing what I know
> with them and sometimes I learn stuff from them that they've picked up
> because of their specialized interest in things I don't normally do.
> As a matter of fact, I meet more customers that I have techie things
> in common with, than I do peers.
>
> About a year ago I "borrowed" a worker from one of my friendly
> competitors. He said the worker had a lot of experience and had owned
> his own company for 25 years. Great! =A0 Well, in a commercial job, I
> tell him to install a motion detector in a hall way. He picks a place
> in a corner, above a 6 foot metal cabinet and mounts the PIR about 10
> feet off the floor ( by his reasoning .... so the cabinet wont block
> the view). He never noted that the maximum recommended mounting height
> for the PIR is eight feet and now there's a gaping hole under the PIR
> so someone could enter the hallway at the PIR end of the hallway and
> enter either of two office doors before being detected. All he had to
> do was mount the PIR above the entrance of the hall, above the door.
> On the same job, I had him mount the contact on the front (entry/exit)
> door of the shop. It was summer time and the door had been open all
> day while we worked. At the end of the day (his day .... that is) I
> told him to take off, that I would do the final walk through, arm the
> system and lock up. I close the front door, arm the system, get out
> side and see that the front door isn't closing all the way and I can't
> lock it. I try to see what's blocking the door and I look up and he
> had mounted the switch on the frame, the magnet on the door but never
> checked to guage the distance between the magnet and the switch and
> they were hitting one another so the door couldn't close. NOW .... I
> had to get my tools out of the van, set =A0up again .... try to drill
> screw holes for the new location of the switch without breaking
> through the old holes ..... ARRRRRRRG!
>
> How in HELL does someone stay in business for 25 years and do work
> like that??? As you can guess, this guy is no youngster ... either.
>
> Back when I was working for someone, if I had to stay later on my own
> time to finnish the job right, that's what I'd do. Ultimately I
> discovered that that is one of the characteristics that is necessary
> to be able to run your own successful business. Pride in doing the job
> right and integrety ..... =A0it's called. .... Yet, I know if I were to
> ask that worker whether he had those characteristics .... =A0 he'd say
> yes .... so ..... there's something eles that necessary to the mix
> also.

Thats why he is working for some one else I know plenty of hacks out
there and they have such a line of bull shit and people believe them
that there experts.