Celebrating 30 years in my career, born as it was into the recession of 1982 (12% unemployment, 12% interest rates, squeezing out in the Reagan years what at the end of the Carter years was 21% inflation) believe me, I get it probably better that you do.
I sell myself as able to add value to a business, and they like that, but they have the delusion that they can bring a guy off the factory floor and train him to hit "start" and get the same results.
You sell "what" about yourself? If I was on the shop floor I wouldn't mind being brought into the lab to train to do something of a more technical nature, if my employer believed I could do it. Back in 1982 I had freshly minted dual bachelors degrees in Biology and Chemistry and I would have killed to have an opportunity to train and to move into some thing like that. My industry is pharmaceuticals and biotech, specializing in Chemistry and Manufacturing Controls. What's your industry?
I've seen company labs running with calibrations they did YEARS ago for analyses that should be calibrated daily.
When I see that kind of thing on audits I write them up. If daily calibration is what is required (e.g., analytical balances, etc.) and they are not doing it for a month, or a year, or years as you say, in the pharmaceutical world they are considered to be outside of regulatory strictures which govern current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) as enshrined and enforceable by FDA legislatively in 21 CFR 210, 211.
But the work gets done cheaply, even if it isn't what it is supposed to be.
In the pharma industry, I make it clear that my clients can pay me now or pay me later -- when it is more expensive to deal with product embargoes, fines, regulatory actions, Consent Decrees, etc. I advise them how to do it right, or how to craft the language for their applications to obtain product approvals and to keep the products they wish to sell on the market.
That's what I sell, and that's what industry buys. Have clients at present who have chosen to call in the firm I own to help them with emerging from Warning Letters issued by FDA and Consent Decrees issued by the DOJ based upon FDA inspection actions. I have teams of independent regulatory compliance consultants who are serving on each of these projects at this minute.
Either you are making your employer or client a boat load of money or you are saving them a boat load of money. If you are doing neither you are adding no value to your employer or client's bottom line.
I've seen this dozens of times in many industries.
How many different industries do have experience in where this is the case?
Someone like me can go in, do things right from the first day and keep things right and credible, but they might have to pay a few dollars more an hour.
Hopefully that is the case and the more they pay, the more you're worth.
FReegards!
