Re: Interesting

["ABLE1" <royboynospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"nick markowitz" <nmarkowitz@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:2dda8176-4fe0-4439-ad4d-ae7017f96eb7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Dec 23, 3:24 pm, Jim <alarmi...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Dec 23, 7:50 am, "ABLE1" <royboynos...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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> > "nick markowitz" <nmarkow...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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> >news:a86c2c31-bad3-42dc-987e-5dd6ae9af6bc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > On Dec 23, 2:58 am, Jim <alarmi...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
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> > > On Dec 22, 10:21 pm, "ABLE1" <royboynos...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > > > Jim said:
> > > > =============================================
> > > > Mine is practical and hands on.
> > > > I've always thought I would have made a good engineer, as I have
> > > > this
> > > > automatic basic understanding of how most things work and I've
> > > > always
> > > > 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
> > > > technical
> > > > end, and following the good advice of a mentor, I got into the
> > > > business end of electronics and used my innate knowledge of how
> > > > things
> > > > 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
> > > > better
> > > > or
> > > > how to fix it.
> > > > ===============================================
>
> > > > 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 just
> > > 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 there
> > > 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 begining
> > > 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, my
> > > 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 sort
> > > 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 I also can build and design and trouble
> > shoot like 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 ,fabricating etc. which 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. So many want to
> > do a cookie cutter approach instead of taking 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?? Would we get it done or kill each other 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 " 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! 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 up 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 ..... it's called. .... Yet, I know if I were to
> ask that worker whether he had those characteristics .... 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.


I hired a guy some years back that just got out of the Navy as a ET.  I
thought that was a good fit.  The first major job we worked on was a paging
system in a manufacturing plant and office.  Had about 20 or so paging horns
in the production area.  We had already pulled all the cables so I gave him
all the materials to mount and terminate the bull horn speakers.  Beam
Clamps, Speakers, Forked Terminals, Screws, Wire Nuts, Wire Ties, placement
map, Ladder, etc.  Explained what I could and sent him on his way.  At the
end of the day I sent him home and I too decided to finish up and then test
the system.  Keyed the mike and Testing, 1, 2, 3 Testing................
Next to nothing was heard.  Tried again and then decided to check the
closest speaker.  Mounted OK.  Wire OK. Forked Terminals on Wire OK.  BUT
WTF!!  He did not crimp the terminals on the end of the wires.  Spent 5
hours going around and checking and fixing EVERYTHING!!!  What a PITA.
Needless to say he did not last much after that.

I don't have any employees any more.  I do sub a guy from time to time as
needed.  I have a hard time with employees putting in time and then they
must get paid regardless if they did any work on not.  I have been burned
too many times.  Presently if there is a mistake to be made, it will be made
by ME and corrected by ME.  Needless to say I minimize my mistakes.  They do
happen, but not often.

And yes, my guess is that we would work well together.  We would most likely
break the project down and each would work on certain modules or area until
all was complete.  The only battle would be to see who turned the last
screw.  :-)

Les