I am now re-tired had a good career some pit- falls, a lot of you are just starting your journey here is how mine went, keep in mind I did not know I was an Aspie until years later.
First lesson get some sort of education beyond high school. Even a trade is OK. I went to college and became a Chemical Engineering Technologist.
Second lesson find a way to incorporate your special interest in to your education. My special interest was physics; I knew I did not have the chops to become a particle physicist. So chemistry became the alternate choice. My first job was as a lab technician on a coil coating line producing aluminum siding. A good part of my duties was controlling the colour for the finished product, so I read the manual for the instrument. And a book on colour theory laying around the lab by a guy named “Richard Hunter” he was the guru of industrial colour control. I found something I could latch onto and specialize in, I would build my career on this. The position was too restrictive and not well paid. Time to move on next position was as a lab tech at an appliance manufacture. Only a hand full of colours, noticed I had a knack at reading the process. Knew my career would not progress without more knowledge
Third lesson we cannot compete with NT’s they have social skills we just do not have. I went back to school took course on coatings manufacturing. Just wanted to know more about what I was applying on the substrate, obtained a Diploma Chemical Technician- Coatings. Also on the job I became an expert on treatment systems, what you put on to prevent corrosion. The coating prevents weathering. This position ended free trade agreement with the U.S.A., which in turn killed the appliance industry in Canada.
Fourth lesson don’t be scared to network, my next position was with a testing lab, and fortunately a class-mate from the coatings program was working there and knew of an opening and recommended me. I believe she got a finder’s fee. Found out later she may also have been a class-mate in grade school years ago. Mindless testing was not my thing; I missed working on a process. I learned a lot of very specialized tests.
Fifth lesson don’t be scared to toot your own horn if you are as good as you think you are.
I read an article in a trade magazine about how the automotive industry wanted to convert some of their processes into what I called a reverse onus system. They wanted to start with the treatment system at a pickup truck assembly plant. I then wrote a letter to the manager of the treatment supplier as they were looking for a service technician a point person. I basically said I’m your guy, threw a few names out of current employees of the company whom knew me well, and got the job. It was late in the year, a few weeks prior to Christmas. I was invited to their Christmas party. The plant had a number of automotive assembly plant accounts, so I was introduced to my fellow service technicians. With my wife at my side made a bold statement to the others, see me at next year’s party and I will have the best controlled plant. Keep in mind over time I noticed trouble shooting processes was a real skill I could visualize the entire process in my head easily and locate the issue. The agreement between the assembly and my employer was any reasonable changes I wanted to improve the process were to be carried out; the objective after all was to set up a reverse onus system. The assembly plant would pay for the chemicals per unit rather per usage, a new paradigm. Needless to say at the next Christmas Party, the manager approached me and the wife, to para phrase I’m not sure how you did it you have the best controlled process all the plants we supply chemicals too. He stressed he had to double check, even beat the Japanese assembly plants. Job done, I quit as my real expertise was industrial painting and colour control.
MY next objective was to become a Quality Engineer as I found I really enjoyed the educational experience and working with numbers.
Sixth lesson plan do, act. Fail to plan to fail
After a few more positions working on Painting progresses controlling colour. I wanted a position that paid well and had a pension benefit. To do this I went full circle and landed a position on a larger multi industry coil line. All the Ducks lined up, multiple treatment systems, and substrates, 20,000 colours, every imaginable type of resin system covered in school, customers from every conceivable industry. The perfect job I had a plan from day one now to precede first to fix their colour, took a while. The first battle was getting the various paint companies on side, I knew their processes well and what they were doing wrong the most common argument, was we have been doing this for 20 to 30 years etcetera, or we have always done it this way. My answer was always you have been doing it wrong. Lucky for me my company backed me and I won every fight. They were told we are the customer do it Ron’s way he knows what he is doing. Within a few years all the colour issues went away and I got bonuses for my efforts two years in a row the only person in company history.
This company as a side line also did printing, their main product was above ground pool wall prints. They had 90% of the available business. The remaining ten they did not want. Colour was not a big issue as two pools could be miles apart. I decided to fix the colour, basecoat were easy already fixed, and ink was where the issue was as they were made in house. Had to develop procedures to control their colour and at the same time fix the process for applying the ink. Not easy when your title is lab tech. There was one tech per shift making ink for the shift. Over time as the colour improved we were down to just two of us. He made the ink I gave him tinting instructions. While monitoring how it was going. When he retired I took over all responsibilities for making and controlling the ink colour.
Next 2008 Happened, business dropped off, The Company decided to change their business model. They realized we had the best colour control in the industry and could now do what was considered not possible before colour controlled prints for things like garage doors, siding, and roofing. In a matter of years we had developed wood grain pints for garage doors captured the complete market. Started growing the siding and roofing market. Soon after a larger coil company bought us for our printing
Capability their plan was to transfer the method to some of their other plants. Good luck.
I retired left a legacy plaque for the management team to find on one side I had written “Don’t piss on our backs and tell us it’s raining we know the difference”, on reverse side was written “Or at least we did”.
This sat on my desk from the first day of last job until retirement, no one was laughing when I left the job.
FYI my former employer is unaware of just prior to my retirement I was offered the chairmanship of ASTM, subcommittee D01.56 on printing inks. I declined not thinking my employer would have been very supportive. What they don't no won't hurt them, not much they can do about it now.
First lesson get some sort of education beyond high school. Even a trade is OK. I went to college and became a Chemical Engineering Technologist.
Second lesson find a way to incorporate your special interest in to your education. My special interest was physics; I knew I did not have the chops to become a particle physicist. So chemistry became the alternate choice. My first job was as a lab technician on a coil coating line producing aluminum siding. A good part of my duties was controlling the colour for the finished product, so I read the manual for the instrument. And a book on colour theory laying around the lab by a guy named “Richard Hunter” he was the guru of industrial colour control. I found something I could latch onto and specialize in, I would build my career on this. The position was too restrictive and not well paid. Time to move on next position was as a lab tech at an appliance manufacture. Only a hand full of colours, noticed I had a knack at reading the process. Knew my career would not progress without more knowledge
Third lesson we cannot compete with NT’s they have social skills we just do not have. I went back to school took course on coatings manufacturing. Just wanted to know more about what I was applying on the substrate, obtained a Diploma Chemical Technician- Coatings. Also on the job I became an expert on treatment systems, what you put on to prevent corrosion. The coating prevents weathering. This position ended free trade agreement with the U.S.A., which in turn killed the appliance industry in Canada.
Fourth lesson don’t be scared to network, my next position was with a testing lab, and fortunately a class-mate from the coatings program was working there and knew of an opening and recommended me. I believe she got a finder’s fee. Found out later she may also have been a class-mate in grade school years ago. Mindless testing was not my thing; I missed working on a process. I learned a lot of very specialized tests.
Fifth lesson don’t be scared to toot your own horn if you are as good as you think you are.
I read an article in a trade magazine about how the automotive industry wanted to convert some of their processes into what I called a reverse onus system. They wanted to start with the treatment system at a pickup truck assembly plant. I then wrote a letter to the manager of the treatment supplier as they were looking for a service technician a point person. I basically said I’m your guy, threw a few names out of current employees of the company whom knew me well, and got the job. It was late in the year, a few weeks prior to Christmas. I was invited to their Christmas party. The plant had a number of automotive assembly plant accounts, so I was introduced to my fellow service technicians. With my wife at my side made a bold statement to the others, see me at next year’s party and I will have the best controlled plant. Keep in mind over time I noticed trouble shooting processes was a real skill I could visualize the entire process in my head easily and locate the issue. The agreement between the assembly and my employer was any reasonable changes I wanted to improve the process were to be carried out; the objective after all was to set up a reverse onus system. The assembly plant would pay for the chemicals per unit rather per usage, a new paradigm. Needless to say at the next Christmas Party, the manager approached me and the wife, to para phrase I’m not sure how you did it you have the best controlled process all the plants we supply chemicals too. He stressed he had to double check, even beat the Japanese assembly plants. Job done, I quit as my real expertise was industrial painting and colour control.
MY next objective was to become a Quality Engineer as I found I really enjoyed the educational experience and working with numbers.
Sixth lesson plan do, act. Fail to plan to fail
After a few more positions working on Painting progresses controlling colour. I wanted a position that paid well and had a pension benefit. To do this I went full circle and landed a position on a larger multi industry coil line. All the Ducks lined up, multiple treatment systems, and substrates, 20,000 colours, every imaginable type of resin system covered in school, customers from every conceivable industry. The perfect job I had a plan from day one now to precede first to fix their colour, took a while. The first battle was getting the various paint companies on side, I knew their processes well and what they were doing wrong the most common argument, was we have been doing this for 20 to 30 years etcetera, or we have always done it this way. My answer was always you have been doing it wrong. Lucky for me my company backed me and I won every fight. They were told we are the customer do it Ron’s way he knows what he is doing. Within a few years all the colour issues went away and I got bonuses for my efforts two years in a row the only person in company history.
This company as a side line also did printing, their main product was above ground pool wall prints. They had 90% of the available business. The remaining ten they did not want. Colour was not a big issue as two pools could be miles apart. I decided to fix the colour, basecoat were easy already fixed, and ink was where the issue was as they were made in house. Had to develop procedures to control their colour and at the same time fix the process for applying the ink. Not easy when your title is lab tech. There was one tech per shift making ink for the shift. Over time as the colour improved we were down to just two of us. He made the ink I gave him tinting instructions. While monitoring how it was going. When he retired I took over all responsibilities for making and controlling the ink colour.
Next 2008 Happened, business dropped off, The Company decided to change their business model. They realized we had the best colour control in the industry and could now do what was considered not possible before colour controlled prints for things like garage doors, siding, and roofing. In a matter of years we had developed wood grain pints for garage doors captured the complete market. Started growing the siding and roofing market. Soon after a larger coil company bought us for our printing
Capability their plan was to transfer the method to some of their other plants. Good luck.
I retired left a legacy plaque for the management team to find on one side I had written “Don’t piss on our backs and tell us it’s raining we know the difference”, on reverse side was written “Or at least we did”.
This sat on my desk from the first day of last job until retirement, no one was laughing when I left the job.
FYI my former employer is unaware of just prior to my retirement I was offered the chairmanship of ASTM, subcommittee D01.56 on printing inks. I declined not thinking my employer would have been very supportive. What they don't no won't hurt them, not much they can do about it now.
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