Open Thread

quote:
How do you know, Rob? It’s not like americorps volunteers wear special jumpsuits or anything.

i cant take one glance at someone and know EXACTLY what it is they do. so yeah, i aint ever seen an americorp volunteer doing that (not saying they dont, duh) i just aint ever seen one. tho americorp volunteers are a tad on a moonface side, no?

*rob*

My promotion can be classified under the category of “create your own opportunities”. Landing a design win with a famous supercomputer company also helps.

Let me explain the “create your own opportunity part”. I work in the North American sales office of a major Japanese electronics firm, and we focus on electro-optical components.

Up until recently, all of the product management for these products was done in Japan. What I mean by product management is the conception of the product: its features, competitive advantages, pricing, applications, etc. Typically our R&D group in Japan would conceive of the products in working with their major customers in Japan, and then “throw it over the wall” to us, and tell us to find applications in the US.

I have been arguing for years that we were losing alot of business with this approach, and that there were whole markets we were missing -areas in which the US has strength but Japan does not (aerospace and medical electronics, in particular).

So, basically what they did is put me into a position where my compensation will be tied to my mouth. I have to find and develop opportunities in these markets.

DIBS, what’s the name and address of that killer Italian restaurant you’re talking about in Philly? have a friend dropping into philly for weekend and looking for restaurant recommendation

benson, I met Mr. Arisawa of Arisawa Corp once…..very nice guy. they perfected the Fresnel lens.