JP,
Interesting, I've had two distinct reactions to the paradigm that C3D, and intelligent modeling as a whole impact the company model. One company, was upset to hear that the traditional model of an Engineering company was being replaced by C3D. The archaic model of pushing red-lines around, is being replaced by a process wherein data and Engineering intersect to produce smarter plans, the intelligent model, faster with higher profit margins.
At another place a young man reacted in shock and fear as he realized that C3D could quite possibly eliminate his job. Luckily his manager observed that a good designer would always be of value, whereas someone with simple cad functionality has their days numbered to say the least.
Now to this pay issue. You know it has long been a peeve of mine as to how totally arbitrary the pay system can be in the Engineering profession. I've seen guys performing similar functions, paid more because they also happened to be married. Women paid less; only because they were women. Or in a personal case; as network administrator/cad manager I developed some processes for them, only I didn't have a job number to bill my time to I missed out on a sizable bonus. So as you can see, I'm as baffled as you are.
C3D, may or may nor offer any real hope for either of us in the area. However, IF your company were to get everyone excited about using the product, now there's a different story. Firstly, some will reinvent themselves as the writing on the wall becomes clear that they soon wont have a job without the skillset being shown them in class. Second, some will reinvent themselves because they will see C3D as an opportunity to gain greater skills and responsibilities within the project. Some managers(engineers) will see that if they properly mentor the staff around them, that C3D allows them more time to manage the project, and easily modify the design elements without destroying the drafted output.
Should the tools within C3D be placed in the hands of those that most properly understand the site, and it's unique design constraints the connection between the drafted output and the design model is total. C3D calls out for retraining your staff and rethinking the workflow, and
processes, otherwise you risk losing the advantages it gives you. Properly trained C3D will let you do more with less. Now how you go about getting paid more for doing more, well I don't have a good answer for that one.
Yup.
Complicated little puzzle.
I'm pretty sure that if we commit to a company wide make-over
, you know along the lines of " Design the model or die " In a couple years we could be outstanding.
That sort of process is painful.
I don't know that we could replace the guys that don't get it with guys that do.
And I object on principle of the concept of you have to know the tool rather than you have to know how the Clients project needs to be designed.
I've got a bunch of people who know the answers to the Civil Engineering questions but will probably not know the Civil 3D way to answer it.
Pretty obvious they are going to have to know both before long.
In the Civil business the problems remain the same, only the tools have changed.
My 16th birthday my father gave me a Post slide rule.
8 scales maybe, can't recall all of it.
First surveyor I ever worked for carried a logarithm table book and taught me the difference between a secant and a co secant.
Well not really, I knew that, I just didn't know how to apply it.
The Civil 3D beast is promising.
It's nearing adolescent stage.
It will be transforming.
I'll cut this off.
Gotta go back to watching the Colts and Broncos.
One of the guys playing for the Colts went to High School with my son.
So I got a dog in that fight.
