[AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?

accessd max at sherman.org.uk
Fri Feb 18 11:52:03 CST 2005


Oohhhhnnnnn.  That is not right, Lambert
IMO the difference between Labour and Conservatives is null (a technical
term)
When a party is in opposition they promise the world.
When in power, they do as they want.
Jaded - only a lot!
Max Sherman
Ps. Wasn't it 18 years? 

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Heenan, Lambert
Sent: 18 February 2005 17:03
To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?

Hmm. I see the RNC propaganda machine is doing a great job. 

"Universal healthcare" = "Die outside the hospital". 

The British health system is in a mess right now because Maggie Thatcher and
her cronies did everything the could to kill it off during 15 years in
power.


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [SMTP:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Charlotte Foust
> Sent:	Friday, February 18, 2005 11:48 AM
> To:	Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject:	RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
> 
> Universal health plan?  Does that mean where NOBODY has decent medical 
> coverage?  In countries with "universal" medical, you get in line for 
> health care.  If you're wealthy, you can jump the queue by paying for 
> your care.  If you aren't wealthy and you die before it's your turn 
> for the transplant, pacemaker, dialysis, whatever, too bad.
> 
> Charlotte Foust
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Lawrence [mailto:accessd at shaw.ca]
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:40 AM
> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
> 
> 
> OT: Totally
> Hi John:
> 
> Do you think they will have a 'universal' health plan in place in US 
> in the next ten years like some 'Democrats' have been talking about?
> 
> Jim
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of John W. 
> Colby
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 7:58 AM
> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
> 
> Yea, the days of working for IBM for 40 years and retiring at X% of 
> salary and full medical are over.  The kid graduating from college 
> today will likely have at LEAST 5 to 10 jobs over 40 years and in the 
> not too distant future will be damned lucky to have any medical, even 
> while working.
> 
> I was reading on the internet (MSNBC) the other day that the company 
> average cost of medical per worker covered was $6000 / year in 2000, 
> and is now $12000 5 years later.  That is a double in five years and 
> the projection is that it will continue into the foreseeable future.
> 
> Hmmm... $24,000 in 2010, $48,000 in 2015, 96,000 in 2020...
> 
> Seems rather likely that only the company execs will have medical 
> coverage by 2015.
> 
> I am an independent contractor.  I pay $700 / month for just my wife 
> and I. I would pay an addition 200-300 if I had children.  Will I be 
> able to pay for medical in 5 years?  Maybe, but my rates will be a LOT
higher.
> In 10 years?  No.
> 
> I do have a plan though.  I will pick some thing that happens to me, 
> blame it on a deep pocket, sue and retire on my 1/2 billion dollar 
> settlement, and SCREW the rest of you guys.  ;-)
> 
> John W. Colby
> www.ColbyConsulting.com
> 
> Contribute your unused CPU cycles to a good cause:
> http://folding.stanford.edu/
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Lawhon, 
> Alan C Contractor/Morgan Research
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 10:38 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
> 
> 
> Randall:
> 
> Good luck on getting reemployed.  I've been down the exact same road 
> as you, (i.e. laid off by a defense contractor), so I know where 
> you're coming from.
> 
> After I was laid off, (along with a group of about 6-8 other people), 
> it took me nearly four months to get re-employed, during which time I 
> managed to drain nearly all of my savings.  The strange thing about 
> being laid off was that this particular job was my first "professional"
> job after I had graduated from college - and it only lasted about six 
> months - so I was blown away when the manager called us all into a 
> small office and told us the bad news.  I remember thinking at the 
> time, while he went on and on about this not being "a negative 
> reflection on any of you or the job you have done," ("Yea, right!"), 
> thinking to myself "Hey, this is NOT what I spent six years struggling 
> in college for - to be unceremoniously dumped!" Fortunately, I was 
> unmarried, so I didn't have to go thru the stress of explaining to a 
> "better half" that there was going to be a drastic slowdown in the income
stream.
> 
> I've been lucky since then in that I've managed to stay (more or less) 
> gainfully employed, but the business we're in is very up and down.  As 
> one boss once told me, "Alan, in government contracting it's either 
> feast or famine.  If you've got a contract, it's feast.  If you don't, 
> it's famine ..."  (In government contracting, if you're a "worker bee"
> doing mundane technical work - like computer programming or 
> run-of-the- mill engineering work - it's a mistake to ask for [or 
> demand] too much money.  They'll just hire a younger worker willing to 
> work for less. The reality is that on government contracts neither the 
> contractor (or the
> government) wants the most efficient and/or "productive" workers. They 
> want the "cheapest" workers.  (Nobody ever acknowledges this openly, 
> but a defense contractor maximizes profit by hiring workers as cheaply 
> as possible since the government pays a fixed hourly rate for each 
> "labor category" - irrespective of the competence and skill of the 
> interchangeable "worker unit" that is plugged into the slot.) It's 
> really just a game ...  <End of rant>
> 
> I've never forgotten the experience of walking the streets ("pounding 
> the
> pavement") trying to get a job interview where everybody you talk to 
> says, "Sorry, we're not hiring ..."  (Just make sure that you have a 
> new job lined up before you make any "career change".)  I long ago 
> realized that there is no "security" in life.  Even Albert Einstein, 
> the great physicist, once complained about the "constant struggle" 
> people have to go thru just to keep food in their stomachs.
> 
> A funny thing about being suddenly (and unexpectedly) unemployed: You 
> find out (real quick) who your friends are ...
> 
> Alan C. Lawhon
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Randall 
> Anthony
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:29 AM
> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
> 
> Steve,
> I find myself in a position similar to yours, unfortunately I got laid 
> off in the process (lack of contractual funding, natch).
> 
> 1.  I was very much immersed in developing and maintaining dbases and 
> applications from Access2.0 through A2K, using SQL and ASP pages for 
> some.
> 
> 2.  As the work slowed down, my access to developing new apps 
> disappeared. Consequently, when push came to shove, my skillsets 
> deteriorated.
> 
> 3.  The company I worked for was a division of a defense contractor 
> with a small IT department.  Last I heard that division's IT 
> department is getting smaller.
> 
> 4.  So, during this "sabbatical", I decided to bite the bullet.  I've 
> got one class left, SQL Server 2K Implementation and Administration. 
> I'm now an MCP in ASP.Net development, I'm studying to pass the SQL 
> Programming exam next week, then I have two exams left to get my MCDBA.
> If I had achieved this while working, that company would have given me 
> a bonus and a pay raise, however, even if I had accomplished this with 
> them, I still would have gotten the axe.
> 
> I have spoken with a number of professionals in the field when I was 
> contemplating getting my Masters degree.  Most concurred that a 
> Masters would be beneficial if you were aiming for management type 
> positions within the IT world, but the return on investment would be 
> negligible if I wished to remain technical.  Ergo, the next best thing 
> to separate oneself from the pack in IT is to get certified (in my humble
opinion).
> 
> I'm starting to get more positive replies from companies I have 
> submitted a resume to, and I feel fairly confident that I will be 
> affiliated with someone soon.  I think that could be attributed to my 
> obtaining certification.
> 
> Randy.
> 
> 
> Dear Group,
> 
> Could you indulge me in a little survey?
> 
> 1) What's your main line of work these days? Access development, SQL 
> Server administration/development, VB, ASP/ASP.NET, PHP...?
> 
> 2) How does your work today differ from what you were doing a few 
> years ago? Is it only that you're using newer versions of the same 
> tools, or are you doing entirely different development work?
> 
> 3) Are you independent or do you work for a company? If you work for a 
> company, what's the size of the company and where do you fit in?
> 
> 4) Do you have any Microsoft Certifications? If so, do you keep 
> current with them, and/or have they made any difference in your 
> current position?
> 
> Thank you very much. I'm approaching a career crossroads with the 
> decision to stay in business as an independent developer or not. I 
> have picked up a fair amount of .NET knowledge (the hard way -- is 
> there any
> other?) but I have no Microsoft certifications.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Steve Erbach
> Scientific Marketing
> Neenah, WI
> www.swerbach.com
> Security Page: www.swerbach.com/security
> 
> 
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