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"Jack of all trades" business card?
Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a
tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On 10/08/2010 05:27 AM, Denis G. wrote:
Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Your question almost answers itself. I don't feel much negative connotation with the term "jack of all trades" although some might. Call yourself a "tinkerer", though, and I'll think of you as someone who derives joy from turning screws and pounding nails without ever actually getting something to work. I can sympathize with that, but if I'm spending money to have work done I'm spending money to have the work _finished_, not just messed with. Describe your target market in more detail, and perhaps someone can help more. In high tech, an engineer who spans disciplines and who can ride herd on the architecture of an entire system is called a "systems engineer", "system architect" or other name with the word "system" in it. Effective systems engineers have to be "jacks of all trades" within engineering, although they're often "jack of all trades, master of one". In home repair, a guy who can come in the door, fix a leaking hose to a wash machine, tighten a door hinge or two, repair an outlet, and clean the gutters on his way out is called a "Handyman". If you're addressing a market that doesn't seem to have built-in monikers, consider using adjectives related to "versatile", "cross-discipline", etc. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com Do you need to implement control loops in software? "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you. See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Fri, 8 Oct 2010 05:27:17 -0700 (PDT), "Denis G."
wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. You said "business card".. what is the business or proposed business? I won't want to pay someone to "tinker" (definitely not by the hour!), and I might rather have an expert than a "jack of all trades" (and master of none). But if you are good at repairing stuff/maintenance, or consider yourself a generalist.. that might start to sound useful. Card, website (if any), brochures, personal appearance should all be congruent with some kind of overall vision and unique selling proposition. It doesn't have to be conventional, but it had better appeal to the potential customers. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
In article
, "Denis G." wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Probably not, without the cardee being already acquainted with your work (assuming it's a positive thing to be acquainted with your work, of course ;-) ) That, and there are so may trades that to really be jack of all is a bit of a stretch. Just list all the ones you are half-decent at (and actually care to do for money - I'm good at shoveling horse poop, and I'll do it for my garden, but nobody wants to pay my rates for having their horse poop shoveled.) You do ceramic tile? Fiber optic connectors? Underwater welding? Replace the jewels in an 18 jewel watch movement? Graft apple trees? Dig wells? Castrate calves? Any no's and you're missing a trade or two... And tinkering with things is generally seen as quite different than repairing them - typically in the "messing about with systems you don't understand" direction, despite roots in "traveling fixer of metal items, especially pots and pans." And sometimes the "travelling" part was important to get out of town before any of the "repaired" pots could be used and the repair melted... -- Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:02:31 -0700, Tim Wescott
wrote: On 10/08/2010 05:27 AM, Denis G. wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Your question almost answers itself. I don't feel much negative connotation with the term "jack of all trades" although some might. Call yourself a "tinkerer", though, and I'll think of you as someone who derives joy from turning screws and pounding nails without ever actually getting something to work. I can sympathize with that, but if I'm spending money to have work done I'm spending money to have the work _finished_, not just messed with. Describe your target market in more detail, and perhaps someone can help more. In high tech, an engineer who spans disciplines and who can ride herd on the architecture of an entire system is called a "systems engineer", "system architect" or other name with the word "system" in it. Effective systems engineers have to be "jacks of all trades" within engineering, although they're often "jack of all trades, master of one". In home repair, a guy who can come in the door, fix a leaking hose to a wash machine, tighten a door hinge or two, repair an outlet, and clean the gutters on his way out is called a "Handyman". If you're addressing a market that doesn't seem to have built-in monikers, consider using adjectives related to "versatile", "cross-discipline", etc. How about "practical engineer" or "Mr Fixit" |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
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"Jack of all trades" business card?
"Denis G." wrote in news:474bd85c-e86b-42f8-96ab-
: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Of the two, I'd definitely go with "jack of all trades" Then again, a friend of mine used to have cards that said "Dragons slain, maidens rescued. Special rates for groups." in small print near the bottom. Doug White |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
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"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Fri, 8 Oct 2010 05:27:17 -0700 (PDT), "Denis G."
wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Only to some people. Others look down upon service people like us. I'm a handyman and that's another word which gets scowls sometimes. My truck signs say "Home and Garden Handyman; Hardscapes, Repairs, Maintenance", but the last line says "Wishes Fulfilled!", and that gets most of the comment by passers-by. My recommendation is to find some more concise words to describe yourself. i.e: Independent Engineering Fabrications, Inc. Whatever you're doing, describe it floridly. -- You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. --Jack London |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
Tim Wescott wrote:
In home repair, a guy who can come in the door, fix a leaking hose to a wash machine, tighten a door hinge or two, repair an outlet, and clean the gutters on his way out is called a "Handyman". If you're addressing a market that doesn't seem to have built-in monikers, consider using adjectives related to "versatile", "cross-discipline", etc. -- Tim Wescott And that's why my business is a "Handyman and Repair" business and my motto is "I can fix almost anything !" . And the business is starting to grow ... got kinda nervous there for a while , but happy clients are your best advertisement , and I'm starting to get a few passing my name out . -- Snag Learning keeps you young ! |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
I CAN FIX ANYTHING!
(where's the duct tape?) |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
"Denis G." wrote in message ... Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. You only put half the quote: Jack of all trades, master of none. When I hear about a guy who can do anything, I am immediately suspicious, because if he was so talented, he'd be busy and not looking for work. No one, and this is MHO only is good at everything. They may be experienced, did some work in that area, or was just watching when someone else did it. I would think better of someone who said, GENERAL REPAIRS. Or better yet, just put down what you really ARE good at, and stick with what you know. It's harder to get into trouble that way. Steve |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On 10/08/2010 05:11 PM, Steve B wrote:
"Denis wrote in message ... Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. You only put half the quote: Jack of all trades, master of none. When I hear about a guy who can do anything, I am immediately suspicious, because if he was so talented, he'd be busy and not looking for work. By that logic you should only try to hire people who won't come to work for you. There's reasons to need to find work. No one, and this is MHO only is good at everything. They may be experienced, did some work in that area, or was just watching when someone else did it. But some people are pretty good at a lot of things. I would think better of someone who said, GENERAL REPAIRS. Or better yet, just put down what you really ARE good at, and stick with what you know. It's harder to get into trouble that way. He hasn't even said yet if by "jack of all trades" he meant he can do plumbing, electrical and carpentry, or if by "jack of all trades" he meant that he can castrate brown calves as well as black ones. In engineering you need a few people (I'm one of them) who can work across disciplines. I'm not the best software guy, I'm not the best electronics guy, I'm not the best mechanical guy by far, I'm not the world's best mathematician. But when the mathematician is saying things in Math that only he can understand, and even the software engineer can't wrap her brain around it, when the electrical guy can't understand why the mechanical guy can't find a 500 watt motor that's one inch on a side and the mechanical guy keeps trying to give the electrical guy a mere five square inches for a processor and a circuit to control those 500 watts -- I can step in, understand what each party is saying and why, and I can either propose solutions or explain why the whole approach is a waste of time and money. That's one reason a jack of all trades is good to have around. The other reason is when you have some small job that needs a bunch of things -- say plumbing, electrical, and carpentry -- all to get done. One guy who can do it all can sweep in, get it done in a few days, and be off. He'll take longer at each task than the 'right' guy, but he'll just make one trip. He may not be perfect at each, but he'll be thinking ahead to the plumbing and electrical when he does the carpentry, etc. Insist on "specialists" and not only will it take more people longer, but the plumber will be drilling holes the carpenter left out, the electrician won't have a spot for his junction boxes, etc. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com Do you need to implement control loops in software? "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you. See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
"Denis G." wrote:
Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. You can not be a jack of all trades any more. Jack of many trades sure. I can wire, roof, plumb and do home repair but most of us can do that. I can also program in Basic, Karel, Clipper or learn another framework. I don't program in C but I can follow along and figure out things well enough for most purposes. I can replace the ballscrew in your cnc, troubleshoot a tooling issue, machine a part, figure out plc logic, rebuild or program a robot. On a good day I can weld, most days silver braze. I can mount a scope, reline a a barrel or bed a reciever. Most days I just keep things going in a manufacturing facility that has both machining and assembly. What is it that you want to focus upon? Wes |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
Tim Wescott wrote: On 10/08/2010 01:57 PM, Spehro Pefhany wrote: On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:11:51 -0400, wrote: On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:02:31 -0700, Tim wrote: On 10/08/2010 05:27 AM, Denis G. wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Your question almost answers itself. I don't feel much negative connotation with the term "jack of all trades" although some might. Call yourself a "tinkerer", though, and I'll think of you as someone who derives joy from turning screws and pounding nails without ever actually getting something to work. I can sympathize with that, but if I'm spending money to have work done I'm spending money to have the work _finished_, not just messed with. Describe your target market in more detail, and perhaps someone can help more. In high tech, an engineer who spans disciplines and who can ride herd on the architecture of an entire system is called a "systems engineer", "system architect" or other name with the word "system" in it. Effective systems engineers have to be "jacks of all trades" within engineering, although they're often "jack of all trades, master of one". In home repair, a guy who can come in the door, fix a leaking hose to a wash machine, tighten a door hinge or two, repair an outlet, and clean the gutters on his way out is called a "Handyman". If you're addressing a market that doesn't seem to have built-in monikers, consider using adjectives related to "versatile", "cross-discipline", etc. Cross-discipline sounds a bit kinky. How about "practical engineer" So the rest of us are impractical engineers? I have known some profoundly impractical engineers. Not so bad that they needed cross-discipline, though. Some are imprctical, cross and poorly disciplined, though. :) -- Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
CaveLamb wrote: I CAN FIX ANYTHING! (where's the duct tape?) In the attic. (Red Green) -- Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
"Denis G." wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. "Diverse Services" -- Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 8, 2:19*pm, Spehro Pefhany
wrote: On Fri, 8 Oct 2010 05:27:17 -0700 (PDT), "Denis G." wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. You said "business card".. what is the business or proposed business? I won't want to pay someone to "tinker" (definitely not by the hour!), and I might rather have an expert than a "jack of all trades" (and master of none). But if you are good at repairing stuff/maintenance, or consider yourself a generalist.. that might start to sound useful. Card, website (if any), brochures, personal appearance should all be congruent with some kind of overall vision and unique selling proposition. It doesn't have to be conventional, but it had better appeal to the potential customers. * I'm casting about looking for a job. I've been an R&D tech and engineer skewed to the material sciences, but I've never had a business card of my own because I've never felt that what I was doing was building a career. I've had lots of ups and downs (probably like everyone else here), but I was just looking for ideas for a business card when I network and meet people. I've read some good suggestions here, but I'll have to chew on the ideas a bit and see if something really makes sense to me. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 8, 9:04*pm, Wes wrote:
"Denis G." wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. You can not be a jack of all trades any more. Jack of many trades sure. I can wire, roof, plumb and do home repair but most of us can do that. *I can also program in Basic, Karel, Clipper or learn another framework. *I don't program in C but I can follow along and figure out things well enough for most purposes. I can replace the ballscrew in your cnc, troubleshoot a tooling issue, machine a *part, figure out plc logic, rebuild or program a robot. On a good day I can weld, most days silver braze. *I can mount a scope, reline a a barrel or bed a reciever. Most days I just keep things going in a manufacturing facility that has both machining and assembly. What is it that you want to focus upon? Wes I like working on new products, but I'll do just about anything to make it go and make it work. I'm not a true expert in anyone thing, but I like working between disciplines. I think that that is where the best innovation comes from. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 8, 4:57*pm, "Snag" wrote:
Tim Wescott wrote: In home repair, a guy who can come in the door, fix a leaking hose to a wash machine, tighten a door hinge or two, repair an outlet, and clean the gutters on his way out is called a "Handyman". If you're addressing a market that doesn't seem to have built-in monikers, consider using adjectives related to "versatile", "cross-discipline", etc. -- Tim Wescott *And that's why my business is a "Handyman and Repair" business and my motto is "I can fix almost anything !" . * And the business is starting to grow ... got kinda nervous there for a while , but happy clients are your best advertisement , and I'm starting to get a few passing my name out . -- Snag Learning keeps you young ! I've talked with people who've gone into business for themselves and it sorta terrifies me. I don't think that I've ready for that leap. I like helping people fix things too. I repaired the washing machine for someone in my wife's lab. One of her kids socks found it's way into the pump and it was jammed up. Simple fix, but you had to guess where to look and not assume it was going to be something like a bad circuit board, etc. I didn't want to take money. I was just happy to get the thing going again. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 8, 4:31*pm, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 8 Oct 2010 05:27:17 -0700 (PDT), "Denis G." wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Only to some people. *Others look down upon service people like us. I'm a handyman and that's another word which gets scowls sometimes. My truck signs say "Home and Garden Handyman; Hardscapes, Repairs, Maintenance", but the last line says "Wishes Fulfilled!", and that gets most of the comment by passers-by. My recommendation is to find some more concise words to describe yourself. * i.e: Independent Engineering Fabrications, Inc. Whatever you're doing, describe it floridly. -- You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * --Jack London Wishes fulfilled! You should have a genie picture on your business card. g |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
Denis G. writes:
Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Yes. Call yourself a "bricoleur". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricolage |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
In article ,
says... "Denis G." wrote in news:474bd85c-e86b-42f8-96ab- : Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Of the two, I'd definitely go with "jack of all trades" Then again, a friend of mine used to have cards that said "Dragons slain, maidens rescued. Special rates for groups." in small print near the bottom. Then there was Heinlein's "General Services"--the story ("We Also Walk Dogs") is worth a read. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
|
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 05:27:17 -0700, Denis G. wrote:
Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Jackoff of all trades, Masturbator of none! ;-) Cheers! Rich |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 05:27:17 -0700, Denis G. wrote:
Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Contract Inventor? :-) Cheers! Rich |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:20:29 -0400, Ecnerwal wrote:
And tinkering with things is generally seen as quite different than repairing them - typically in the "messing about with systems you don't understand" direction, despite roots in "traveling fixer of metal items, especially pots and pans." And sometimes the "travelling" part was important to get out of town before any of the "repaired" pots could be used and the repair melted... "Not worth a Tinker's Dam..." Cheers! Rich |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Sat, 09 Oct 2010 02:18:33 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:
In article , "Denis G." wrote in news:474bd85c-e86b-42f8-96ab- : Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Of the two, I'd definitely go with "jack of all trades" Then again, a friend of mine used to have cards that said "Dragons slain, maidens rescued. Special rates for groups." in small print near the bottom. Then there was Heinlein's "General Services"--the story ("We Also Walk Dogs") is worth a read. And Larry Niven's "Geeral Products" hulls, built by the Puppeteers. ;-) Cheers! Rich |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 21:51:59 -0700, Denis G. wrote:
On Oct 8, 4:31*pm, Larry Jaques wrote: On Fri, 8 Oct 2010 05:27:17 -0700 (PDT), "Denis G." wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Only to some people. *Others look down upon service people like us. I'm a handyman and that's another word which gets scowls sometimes. My truck signs say "Home and Garden Handyman; Hardscapes, Repairs, Maintenance", but the last line says "Wishes Fulfilled!", and that gets most of the comment by passers-by. My recommendation is to find some more concise words to describe yourself. * i.e: Independent Engineering Fabrications, Inc. Whatever you're doing, describe it floridly. You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. * Wishes fulfilled! You should have a genie picture on your business card. g And when you get a storefront, you can say, "Wishes fulfilled while you wait." ;-) Cheers! Rich |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:28:40 -0700, Tim Wescott wrote:
On 10/08/2010 05:11 PM, Steve B wrote: "Denis wrote in message ... Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. You only put half the quote: Jack of all trades, master of none. When I hear about a guy who can do anything, I am immediately suspicious, because if he was so talented, he'd be busy and not looking for work. By that logic you should only try to hire people who won't come to work for you. There's reasons to need to find work. No one, and this is MHO only is good at everything. They may be experienced, did some work in that area, or was just watching when someone else did it. But some people are pretty good at a lot of things. I would think better of someone who said, GENERAL REPAIRS. Or better yet, just put down what you really ARE good at, and stick with what you know. It's harder to get into trouble that way. He hasn't even said yet if by "jack of all trades" he meant he can do plumbing, electrical and carpentry, or if by "jack of all trades" he meant that he can castrate brown calves as well as black ones. In engineering you need a few people (I'm one of them) who can work across disciplines. I'm not the best software guy, I'm not the best electronics guy, I'm not the best mechanical guy by far, I'm not the world's best mathematician. But when the mathematician is saying things in Math that only he can understand, and even the software engineer can't wrap her brain around it, when the electrical guy can't understand why the mechanical guy can't find a 500 watt motor that's one inch on a side and the mechanical guy keeps trying to give the electrical guy a mere five square inches for a processor and a circuit to control those 500 watts -- I can step in, understand what each party is saying and why, and I can either propose solutions or explain why the whole approach is a waste of time and money. That's one reason a jack of all trades is good to have around. Interdisciplinary communications facilitator? ;-) Cheers! Rich |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
Denis G. wrote:
On Oct 8, 4:57 pm, "Snag" wrote: Tim Wescott wrote: In home repair, a guy who can come in the door, fix a leaking hose to a wash machine, tighten a door hinge or two, repair an outlet, and clean the gutters on his way out is called a "Handyman". If you're addressing a market that doesn't seem to have built-in monikers, consider using adjectives related to "versatile", "cross-discipline", etc. -- Tim Wescott And that's why my business is a "Handyman and Repair" business and my motto is "I can fix almost anything !" . And the business is starting to grow ... got kinda nervous there for a while , but happy clients are your best advertisement , and I'm starting to get a few passing my name out . -- Snag Learning keeps you young ! I've talked with people who've gone into business for themselves and it sorta terrifies me. I don't think that I'm ready for that leap. This isn't the first time for me . Before I got into cabinet shop work I ran a home repair/flooring install business . Got tired of the hustle , worked for somebody else the last 18 or so years . But people just aren't all that interedted in hiring a man my age , and so here I am , back in business again . Got a few more skills now too , last go-round I didn't have all the metalworking machinery . Recently , I've been fabbing and installing lock boxes on AC condenser cages . Couple of bucks for material , and I'm getting 45 bucks each for them . Works out to just under $30/hour average ... -- Snag Learning keeps you young ! |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
Rich Grise wrote:
On Sat, 09 Oct 2010 02:18:33 -0400, J. Clarke wrote: In article , "Denis G." wrote in news:474bd85c-e86b-42f8-96ab- : Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Of the two, I'd definitely go with "jack of all trades" Then again, a friend of mine used to have cards that said "Dragons slain, maidens rescued. Special rates for groups." in small print near the bottom. Then there was Heinlein's "General Services"--the story ("We Also Walk Dogs") is worth a read. And Larry Niven's "General Products" hulls, built by the Puppeteers. ;-) Cheers! Rich Damn cowards , so afraid of a supernova that they moved the whole planet ! But those hulls were the cat's ass if you ended up on a Ringworld ! -- Snag Learning keeps you young ! |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 9, 12:25*am, Richard J Kinch wrote:
Denis G. writes: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Yes. Call yourself a "bricoleur". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricolage I never heard that one. Thanks. I'm going to research it some more. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 8, 10:25*pm, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote: Tim Wescott wrote: On 10/08/2010 01:57 PM, Spehro Pefhany wrote: On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:11:51 -0400, wrote: On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:02:31 -0700, Tim wrote: On 10/08/2010 05:27 AM, Denis G. wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Your question almost answers itself. I don't feel much negative connotation with the term "jack of all trades" although some might. *Call yourself a "tinkerer", though, and I'll think of you as someone who derives joy from turning screws and pounding nails without ever actually getting something to work. *I can sympathize with that, but if I'm spending money to have work done I'm spending money to have the work _finished_, not just messed with. Describe your target market in more detail, and perhaps someone can help more. In high tech, an engineer who spans disciplines and who can ride herd on the architecture of an entire system is called a "systems engineer", "system architect" or other name with the word "system" in it. Effective systems engineers have to be "jacks of all trades" within engineering, although they're often "jack of all trades, master of one". In home repair, a guy who can come in the door, fix a leaking hose to a wash machine, tighten a door hinge or two, repair an outlet, and clean the gutters on his way out is called a "Handyman". If you're addressing a market that doesn't seem to have built-in monikers, consider using adjectives related to "versatile", "cross-discipline", etc. Cross-discipline sounds a bit kinky. * How about "practical engineer" So the rest of us are impractical engineers? I have known some profoundly impractical engineers. *Not so bad that they needed cross-discipline, though. * *Some are imprctical, cross and poorly disciplined, though. :) -- Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Some engineers benefit from cross training. g |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 9, 6:53*am, "Snag" wrote:
Denis G. wrote: On Oct 8, 4:57 pm, "Snag" wrote: Tim Wescott wrote: In home repair, a guy who can come in the door, fix a leaking hose to a wash machine, tighten a door hinge or two, repair an outlet, and clean the gutters on his way out is called a "Handyman". If you're addressing a market that doesn't seem to have built-in monikers, consider using adjectives related to "versatile", "cross-discipline", etc. -- Tim Wescott And that's why my business is a "Handyman and Repair" business and my motto is "I can fix almost anything !" . And the business is starting to grow ... got kinda nervous there for a while , but happy clients are your best advertisement , and I'm starting to get a few passing my name out . -- Snag Learning keeps you young ! I've talked with people who've gone into business for themselves and it sorta terrifies me. *I don't think that I'm ready for that leap. * This isn't the first time for me . Before I got into cabinet shop work I ran a home repair/flooring install business . Got tired of the hustle , worked for somebody else the last 18 or so years . But people just aren't all that interedted in hiring a man my age , and so here I am , back in business again . Got a few more skills now too , last go-round I didn't have all the metalworking machinery . * Recently , I've been fabbing and installing lock boxes on AC condenser cages . Couple of bucks for material , and I'm getting 45 bucks each for them . Works out to just under $30/hour average ... -- Snag Learning keeps you young !- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Cool! I met someone up here in the Milwaukee area who started a small business fabbing oil coolers for English motorcycles. He sold me his HF 3-in-1 shear-brake-roller when he got something better to work with. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
"Denis G." wrote: Some engineers benefit from cross training. g Actually, they need to be un-cross trained. ;-) -- Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is enough left over to pay them. |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 9, 3:26*am, Rich Grise wrote:
On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 05:27:17 -0700, Denis G. wrote: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Your thoughts appreciated. Contract Inventor? :-) Cheers! Rich Well that an improvement on your other suggestion. At least it won't send them running. g |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
On Oct 9, 7:53*am, "Denis G." wrote:
On Oct 9, 12:25*am, Richard J Kinch wrote: Denis G. writes: Is it possible to describe yourself as a "jack of all trades" or a tinkerer without evoking the negative connotations of those names? Yes. Call yourself a "bricoleur". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricolage I never heard that one. *Thanks. *I'm going to research it some more. I often listen to this show on public radio: http://www.waywordradio.org/ |
"Jack of all trades" business card?
In article
, "Denis G." wrote: I'm casting about looking for a job. I've been an R&D tech and engineer skewed to the material sciences, but I've never had a business card of my own because I've never felt that what I was doing was building a career. I've had lots of ups and downs (probably like everyone else here), but I was just looking for ideas for a business card when I network and meet people. I've read some good suggestions here, but I'll have to chew on the ideas a bit and see if something really makes sense to me. My "not entirely a joke" moonlighting tagline is: Electronics, Databases, Woodworking, Earthmoving I have done (and will do) the first two for money. I keep playing with the third one but have been leery of turning a hobby I like into a job I might not, and the last I only do for me (backhoe, yes - giant truck to haul giant trailer to haul backhoe, and license to drive said giant truck, and desire to get mired in other people's noisome underground messes, no. I'm also a good pick and shovel man, but nobody's going to pay my rates for pick and shovel work, most likely - though it has certainly come in handy on parts of my own jobs where the backhoe is not the right tool for the job.) As for moonlighting more directly in what I spend all day doing - not interested, already tired of it. If I was more seriously trying to work the first two I might remove the last two, but I'm not, and there is a deliberate intent to point out broadness of scope. So far nobody's called wanting an earthmoving job - they look for the folks who advertise that in the paper and yellow pages. ....but, that's moonlighting. I can afford to miss a bunch, because it is not my day job. The woodworking "not quite a business" is itself also not confined to woodworking, and I've borrowed a moniker from one of my 1860's lathes that describes it better: "Maker" -- Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by |
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