Dean Kamen, Manual Laborers, and You

[Al Skierkiewicz]

I have sat back and read what everyone has to say on the subject and now it's my turn.
When I heard the words, I was on Einstein looking out at at all the students and mentors in the audience. The words stung for a moment as I realized I was not the only one that fit the description. I have known manual labor in my life and I know a lot of people today that want a job and can't get one.
Patrick, I would be happy to talk to your sponsors and try to convince them to stay with the program. We need them, desperately and I want a hard working sponsor behind me. PM me and we can set something up. Everyone of us are hard working volunteers who put in long hours at no pay to further a great cause. It doesn't get more manual than that.
Most of the engineers I know work hard at what they do and sometimes that means working with their hands for long hours and little pay.
I am a Broadcast Engineer for a TV station. Friday was a typical day for me, sitting at a computer running Autocad for system design. However, I had to break away and run outside and test the microwave truck, by climbing on the roof and opening the 2 GHz power amp to check for correct operation because that is also my responsibility. I am on 24 hour call and on occasion will work past 24 hours in a day. Yes I do manual labor, because it goes with the job. When I heard Dean's words, I immediately flew back to a conversation with my father. He told me he didn't much care what I wanted to do in life as long as I was good at it and enjoyed what I was doing. Well, I am good at it and I do enjoy it. I know a lot of electricians, assembly line workers, postal employees and camera operators that are exactly the same. Am I shocked at Dean's speech? Not anymore. I know that even Dean can make a mistake, flub his intended message, or get excited in front of 30,000 people. I know a lot of students that need to hear this message from their mentors. Even our greatest idols make mistakes. The good ones, move on and continue to do great things. Let's move on.