I have a question for all of the LDT users out there? Or should I say a few questions. This is for all of the users of LDT that have yet to switch or for those that are in the middle of the switch but have lost that drive, that motivation to keep going.

This posting is for you! This is not for your boss or your supervisor but to the little guy that needs that motivation to jump over to the dark side and start aggressively learning and using C3D in production. Why? Will now is the perfect time, not tomorrow or next week but now. Again why? We'll for all of you little guys out there that have not noticed your industry is probably slowing down if not dead. Here in the Mpls area we have firms that have cut up to 70% of there work force, we have many numerous firms that have cut back on hiring and training, we have firms that are no more! And I'm assuming by the news reports this is happening all over! Mostly because of the house debacle and the loan foreclosures that have hit the housing industry. The question is? Is you company one of them? From what I have personally seen those getting hit are those that were in the development game. The ones that are still doing good are those that are diversified enough that their people can be moved or transfered form one department to the other and ride the storm out. The question here is how big of a storm is this? Good question, wish I had an answer!

So why does this effect you the LDT lover? Why because this is your warning shot across the bow, if you still have your job there still is time to board up the windows to keep the coming storm away. And yes the storm is coming, whether you like it or not it is coming. Long time ago during my first year of work I had a draftsperson working with me that worked on the boards. My job at the time (Since I was the new college kid with computer/cadd experience, one class of Autocad R10) was getting there cadd department up and running. This was 1991/1992 and we were using DCA at the time, but as the story goes, this draftsperson swore up and down that they could draw faster and better than the computer could and they didn't see the need in learning Cadd. I told her that they had better learn Cadd and computers because whether they like it or not they are here to stay! We'll from what I heard she lasted about 3 years and now I have no idea what she is doing for a living but I can guarantee it is not working on the boards. Point being this computer thing from the 90s is still here and is still growing and getting better and faster. Progress is what they call it and millions of other workers depend on this progress of the Computer. Whether we like it or not progress will run you over if you do not learn to run with it.

So where does this takes us and what does this have to do with me and LDT and C3D? Progress, period, whether you like it or not C3D is progress! And right now we/you the worker now does not have the upper hand in employment, we now are expendable, survival of the fittest. And the question is, are you the fittest? Or is the guy sitting in the cubicle next to you the fittest? Right now your employer is going thru probably the toughest decisions he has ever had as an employer/boss. He may now need to decide who stays and who goes. Are you the fittest? Are you the one that is going to make him money? If you aren't you had better be dating his/her daughter/son. You had better have a real good reason that will entice your boss to keep you!

I have one client that a few months ago was on the verge of having us come in for the complete C3D implementation plan, they had a meeting with our price quote and bamm. That was when the boss said to the cadd manager, which is more feasible? We either hire Alignex to help us move to C3D or we keep you to move us to C3D? Meaning we either hire Alignex and then lay you off or we keep you and have you do this? Answer was? You guessed it the cadd manager wanted to keep his job! So he is now burried in learning C3D the hard way! But now he is motivated and his resume in 6 months will look a whole lot better.

So back to you and why do you need to learn C3D. Survival of the fittest! Do you want to be working in 3 months? Now is the time that you the little guy needs to look at the big picture, and look to tomorrow or next week or next month or next year and ask youself what is better for me? Not what is better for my employer, but me? Your employer really and I hate to say this doesn't really care about you..... If someone comes along better and knows C3D and you don't, we'll you are at the disavantage aren't you. None of us want to be the odd guy out. How many of you guys that worked on the boards still put that down on your resume? Some of you don't even know what I refering to when I say the Boards. In five years or 10 years there will be you that don't remember LDT or know what LDT stands for. Whether we like it or not progress is going to keep on rolling and keep on rolling over those that don't get there running shoes on and start running. We kind a hit a long flat spot there while we all got comfirable with LDT and nothing else really was there to start the progress ball rolling, but now with C3D the ball is rolling and picking up momentum.

I know everyone over the past couple of years were just too busy to train C3D, the money was there but you just didn't have the time. Well guess what you may soon have more time on you hands that you want! Tomorrow is now, with winter just around the corner this is the perfect time for you the little guy to grab the bull by it horns and start learning C3D. If not for your company then for you. Winter is always the slower time of the year, this should now be the perfect time for you to start learning C3D. You can either do it now with your employer flipping the bill or you can wait a few months and you may be flipping the bill! Or flipping hamburgers! I heard McD is looking!

Bill Neuhauser P.E.