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From: john larkin <JL@gct.com>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: kids these days
Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2024 10:36:26 -0700
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On Sun, 29 Sep 2024 13:22:31 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>
wrote:

>On a sunny day (Sun, 29 Sep 2024 10:10:33 +0100) it happened Cursitor Doom
><cd@notformail.com> wrote in <d56ifj1angpnq16qhhb0vplmlr3tt7opnf@4ax.com>:
>
>>On Fri, 27 Sep 2024 08:42:27 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>On a sunny day (Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:21:31 -0700) it happened john larkin
>>><jl@glen--canyon.com> wrote in <v1rbfj18eqbgr1t9bfvdfqqmn1q91gcfof@4ax.com>:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bosses-firing-gen-z-grads-111719818.html
>>>>
>>>>Oh. I just hired one.
>>>
>>>There is a lot of truth in that article.
>>>I have had to work with newcomers, some knew nothing 
>>>But then when I started... in my first job designing a.o. mil stuff
>>>I had to figure it all out for myself the same day the requests got on the table.
>>>One old guy, who had some experience with electronics but had a lot with high power stuff..
>>>and a manager to rule us, was the environment, and a big factory floor building the things we came up with, and
>>>a test room (HV stuff 100 kV etc megawatt stuff.. and a little corner and oscilloscope for me to test what I came up with,
>>>build  proto circuits.
>>>
>>>Later when starting in broadcasting we got 6 month in the school benches in their own studio, while getting payed,
>>>and exams after that, everything from audio, video, satellite, management, politics (who can do what, red phones sort of
>>>thing), the works.
>>>As that (video, audio etc) was my real interest, I found it relaxing and fun.
>>>Then when you are put in charge of a real event, I remember the first day I ran alone in a head control room
>>>I had to call my boss back from his dinner in some restaurant.. could not find the cables we had to swap
>>>to sync some remote location,
>>>turned out those were hidden under the floor boards ..
>>>Did not they tell you that?
>>> (Must have missed that :-) ).
>>>
>>>It all depends,.
>>>Do you give the poor new guy training? ANY kind of training?
>>
>>He doesn't have to. John has this screening technique he uses for job
>>applicants. He shows them a diagram of two 1k resistors in series with
>>10V across them and asks them what the voltage where they join is. If
>>they freak out, burst into tears or defenestrate themselves, he knows
>>not to hire them. :-)
>
>Yes I did read that posting
>Its hard, lemme see, e=m.c^12 likely does not help.
>to make it easier for me I use volts, so if 3k3 + 4k7 in series gives 8 volts
>then we know 3k3 gives 3.3 V across it and 4k7 4.7 volts across it
>Best is to use trimpots to get the right value, no math needed...
>And of course you need to bring the (multi?)meter impedance into play, especially for high
>value resistors and moving coil meters from old boat anchors for example.
>And there are LDRs and NTCs and PTCs, so we need to know all that
>and the temperature and light intensity...
>for the NTCs and PTCs we also need to know the current and time since switch on...
>So no wonder if they defenestrate themselves.

I wouldn't hire someone who complicates a simple question into
paralysis.


>An other issue maybe length contraction due to near light speed that may affect both measurement equipment and resistors.
>And reading those colored bands around some resistors to get the value.
>and wirewound, carbon composite, metal, 
> And then J.L. did not specify if it was DeeSee or AH!See

I draw a 10 volt battery connected to two resistors, 9K in series with
1K.

What's the voltage across the 1K?

I hired a 3-month intern a month ago who failed the test. He said 9
volts. I hired him anyway and fired him as an intern on Friday. He's
full time now. He's mostly a software engineer. I'm teaching him basic
electronics now. 

I dream of some day finding a kid who gets the voltage divider right
and has something intelligent so say about the next test, an NPN
emitter follower.