As more colleagues from my generation move toward retirement, I am concerned that the collected knowledge we gained empirically is not fully being preserved for the next generation of fiber optic engineering professionals.
Why do I say this? If you look at the demographics, there is a missing generation of fiber optic engineers, or at least a dearth of them. If you’re old enough to remember, the 2001-2003 period in our industry suffered a significant recession. Prior to this, there was a build-up of expectations about what fiber would do and expected demand for bandwidth. Many companies had spin-offs to exploit new fiber optic ventures – in some cases, with nothing more than a patent application. While bandwidth demand increased so did copper’s capabilities. Fiber solutions (expensive at the time) were put on hold. Since everyone assumed the same volume but disputed how much market share they would take, huge overcapacity existed, and expensive new technologies did not realize their cost targets. So that generation of fiber optic engineers started to be laid off in large numbers, many with only a few years’ experience in the industry. As a result, many new technologies came into wide-spread development: areas such as electro-mechanical interfaces, remote vision systems, laser-based manufacturing, and so forth……………
READ THE FULL BLOG HERE: http://technicalhorsepowerconsulting.com/are-we-doomed-to-repeat-the-past-not-letting-our-industrys-critical-tribal-knowledge-become-a-lost-art/

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