AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT WOW

Another call center bites the dust as Englewood, Colorado-based Wide Open West, the sixth largest cable operator in the United States, shuts down its Colorado Springs, Colorado call center and lays off 200 employees on March 8, 2020. The company noted that the decision to close the call center was based on the increasing use of automation. The spokesperson saying, “We have put different technologies in place for our customers to talk to us, such as online chat and sales orders through our website, so we don’t have as much call volume. It became evident that we didn’t have the call volume to support the center.”

There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?

NO LOVE AT NIKON

TECHNOLOGY TAKES ITS TOLL AT NIKON

There is little or no doubt about the bloodbath at Kodak that occurred when consumers switched from film to digital cameras.

Unfortunately, we are starting to see consumers, with the exception of professional photographers and hardcore hobbyists, switch from the massive DSLRs to lightweight smartphone-based cameras or video-based camera systems. And, with the prospect of purchasing new lenses, consumers feel less constrained to attempt to salvage their lens collections and stay within the same brand framework.

So it should not come as a surprise that Nikon, one of the most reliable names in cameras (along with Leica, Canon, and Sony) is shutting down its Chinese operation and laying off all 2,200 employees.

In addition to consumer preferences, we also saw a majority of professional photographers switch to Canon cameras and lens systems. 

I have several Nikon cameras and lenses. My Nikon F4S film camera sits on a shelve, worth less than $100 as compared with its original $1,600 price. Ditto, my D300 DSLR. I have a collection of smaller Nikon cameras but they are virtually worthless as I use my iPhone for most casual shots. My next camera is likely to be a high-resolution video camera suitable for small productions.  

THE FALSE PROMISES OF A CODING CAREER?

NO LOVE AT GALVANIZE

According to published reports, the five-year-old Denver, Colorado for-profit coding school funded by $63 million in venture capital has announced that it plans to lay off 11 percent of its workforce. Not surprising given the competition with traditional non-profit schools, the free availability of online coding instruction, and the extremely low barrier to entry in the industry.

Of course, we see the standard official statements … 

“In order to adjust to evolving market demands we made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce today.” 

“These actions are consistent with our overall strategy to build a more product-focused platform that enables a continuous learning environment.” 

Like many for-profit schools that suggest that they can train their non-college-level students to become software engineers, “obtain prized jobs with major software companies, or become a software entrepreneur in weeks or a few months, many of the for-profit schools ignore the basics.

One, coding is a means to an end, not the end itself.

Two, the most valued employees are those with specific experience in other specialties and for the most part, do not concentrate on drag-and-drop GUIs (Graphic User Interfaces) or simply stringing library code modules together. They develop back-end systems and specialized code that goes beyond what might be routinely available in a library. Competition for employment is extremely aggressive, and most employees work long and hard for their money. The expense of living in Silicon Valley or surrounding areas is unreal and possibly unaffordable. 

Three, the most successful and monetized apps do more than providing front-end access to someone else’s data through a vendor’s API (Application Programming Interface). 

Four, it is immeasurably easier to teach a person skilled in another discipline coding than it is to teach a coder to be skilled in another discipline. 

Five, many companies routinely outsource their app development or coding to extremely skilled foreign professionals for a fraction of the price it would cost for a full-time employee with benefits.

For those who are interested in programming, might I suggest you look at the free offerings from MIT’s “Open Courseware” Introductory Programming Courses. Starting with little or no programming knowledge, you can build employment-worthy skills -- just not in a few weeks.
 

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