 By Edward Brown May 12, 2008
Do not take it personal because like Walmart and McDonalds you will see somebody new to the community show up to fill the jobs. The jobs they bring may not meet your previous wages but others need those opportunities just like you did when you started. My dad told me if I wanted to collect all the money, I would have to own the business. My dad was speaking from a smaller perspective than larger corporations do. He was not wrong or out of context when he said this to me back then. Think of a monolith like Microsoft trying to buy Yahoo just a short while ago. Spinoffs and acquisitions happen without our permission all the time. It is just business happening. When I went to work for Alascom in Anchorage we had close to 700 employees statewide. In my 19+ years of being here there has been 3 employers since doing the same job. Technology replaced a lot of the technicians and telephone operators since. At our low point we were just at 200+ and are closer to 300 now. Our competitors have hired more so the jobs moved from here to there. Retirements are happening and more jobs are available. Telephone booths and on the desk phones were the norm when I hired on. Now wireless phones,personal computers ,pda's and tv on the hip and more devices are coming Ketchikan's and other AK communities' way. Getting the perspective right
is more important than naming names. In the future more jobs
will open up and higher pay will come anyway. This is not a blue
collar versus white collar issue. It is change that happens over
time. Telecommunications will get even smaller handhelds and
better batteries and skilled people may have to continue to educate
and evolve with their jobs at even a faster rate than they do
now. Look at these changes as opportunities rather than a personal
attack. Stay positive and grow with the changes ahead. About: " Have worked just short of 20 years in telecom budiness in Anchorage" Received May 12, 2008 - Published May 12, 2008 Viewpoints - Opinion Letters:
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