Friam

Guidance could help.

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Gillian Densmore

Guidance could help.

Another day as my world oozes along.

I'll make this succinct for the benefit of the Technomancers on both lists.

Greetings fellow Technomancers:

Where and or how does one go about getting some notion of how realistic a career goal is these days?

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glen ep ropella

Re: Guidance could help.

On 11/21/2013 10:32 AM, Gillian Densmore wrote:
> Greetings fellow Technomancers:
> Where and or how does one go about getting some notion of how realistic a
> career goal is these days?

The only advice I have is to start your own company and do some contract
work through that corporation as a vehicle. If they have the LLC
structure in NM, then do that.

--
glen ep ropella -- 971-255-2847

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Steve Smith

Re: Guidance could help.

In reply to this post by Gillian Densmore

Gil -

I like your term "Technomancer", very apt for this audience.

I always have plenty of advice but in this case, I'm not sure how *useful* it is.

My feeling is that most people on this list are in one of three categories: 1) Technomancers who had a long and successful career during the golden age and who are now retired or semi-retired (like your dad); 2) Technomancers in mid-career with enough success under their belt to know it is possible to make a good living at it, but possibly struggling (due to the economy); 3) Technomancers such as yourself who "came of age" during the last 5-10 years when times have been "austere".

I don't think high-tech is any less realistic as a career these days than any other career. In fact, I think having Technomancy skills will enhance *any* career.   Unfortunately all careers are threatened these days I think... or at least muted... if not overtly threatened.   The golden age is over... but that doesn't mean your generation (you are a millennial, right?) won't get to experience a Platinum or Palladium age (both metals are even YET more useful than Gold as well as having equally interesting aesthetic properties). Singularity or no, I think the age of magic has already returned (in the Arthur C. Clarke sense of the term)

It is thin solace for those lost in this challenging time of trying to maintain or start a career in high tech, but doing something because you love it is ultimately better than doing it because it pays well (think teaching, art, rodeo-cowboying, indie music, etc.)   Too many of my generation (younger boomers) went into Technomancy because it was a solid, lucrative career in the 80s, maybe even 90s. Not all of them were as interested in it for it's own sake as the folks you know from SFx/FRIAM, etc.

- Steve

PS. I hate when the world oozes. I prefer when it splashes and froths kaleidoscopically, unfortunately the usual chemistry that supports that particular state does not promote focus and connection with reality!   I recommend getting out in the fresh air and sunlight... both have a way of reducing the viscosity of my day to a more tolerable level, one where I can hope to generate a little iridescent chop and foam on the surface. Thrashing around like a fool sometimes helps with that too...

Another day as my world oozes along.

I'll make this succinct for the benefit of the Technomancers on both lists.

Greetings fellow Technomancers:

Where and or how does one go about getting some notion of how realistic a career goal is these days?
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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Parks, Raymond

Re: [EXTERNAL] Guidance could help.

In reply to this post by Gillian Densmore

Ask other Technomancers. If you have a career goal, put it out there and get feedback.

You can use social media to solicit feedback.

I'd start first with asking in a forum that is less public and less impersonal than most social media. These lists are a good place if you want to cut down the amount of disparagement and ignorant replies - but you'll be trading off against a lack of diversity. We just don't have enough folks to cover every aspect of how you might achieve a particular career goal.

If you are you a member of a professional organization (ACM, IEEE, or ???), they probably have some sort of limited membership social media opportunity. As a closed society, these tend to be more polite if, perhaps, less active. The same goes with school-based groups - I am a member of Zoomienation but I see very little traffic from the forums on there, such as Rock the Kill Chain.

LinkedIn would be the first open social media I would use - get yourself a personal account, search for groups using keywords associated with your career goal, and then check out those groups. Some are more active than others, in my experience. I am a member of two groups associated with the Cyber Security Forum Initiative <http://www.csfi.us/> that are very active. I'm also a member of the Smart Grid Executive Forum - which is less active. I'm also a member of the Cyber Weapon Global Discussion - I hardly ever hear from it (it started as a discussion about Stuxnet and has basically petered out). Once you find a group that fits your career goal, ask your question.

If you're thinking about a career goal related to creating a startup, then try ycombinator's Hacker News <https://news.ycombinator.com/news>.

If you ask about your career goal on /. or Ars, then you'll get a low signal to noise ratio but somewhere in the comments to your Ask Slashdot you're likely to find nuggets that tell you how realistic your goal may be.

I'd avoid putting your question on your Facebook wall or Twitter feed unless you've only friended or followed/been followed by knowledgeable technomancers.

ObFriam: I wonder if anyone has ever done a study of social media forums to understand how they start, why they continue, and why they slowly die. I seem to remember such a study being done about USENET, but I wonder if the same dynamics apply to LinkedIn, Yahoo lists, et cetera. Would agent-based modeling apply? What about complex systems modeling?

Ray Parks

Consilient Heuristician/IDART Program Manager

V: 505-844-4024 M: 505-238-9359 P: 505-951-6084

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On Nov 21, 2013, at 11:32 AM, Gillian Densmore wrote:

Another day as my world oozes along.
I'll make this succinct for the benefit of the Technomancers on both lists.

Greetings fellow Technomancers:
Where and or how does one go about getting some notion of how realistic a career goal is these days?

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com

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Gary Schiltz-4

Re: Guidance could help.

In reply to this post by Gillian Densmore

I think Steve’s suggestions were spot on. Additionally, instead of asking the metaquestion (where do you go to ask said question) on this list, why not just ask the question itself? That is, say a little about what you are thinking for a career goal, and let us chime in.

Gary

On Nov 21, 2013, at 1:32 PM, Gillian Densmore <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Another day as my world oozes along.
> I'll make this succinct for the benefit of the Technomancers on both lists.
>
> Greetings fellow Technomancers:
> Where and or how does one go about getting some notion of how realistic a career goal is these days?

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com