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Economics and Falling Bridges | 76 comments (76 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Huh? (4.00 / 5)
I know nothing of Germany, but what is certain is that engineers are held in pretty high esteem in France. Not in the political class (where indeed, people with taste for power but no science/technology abilities go) but certainly in large companies : that is where a many CEO's and a lot of the lower management is recruited...

Top tier engineering schools tend to open a lots of doors in France.

However, it is expected of those engineers not to remain in "production" facilities for too long and to move quickly into management.

Also a note for techno : one of the main French engineering schools, the ENSAM (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers, i.e. National Superior School of Arts and Crafts) specializes in engineers that can actually use their hands to make stuff...

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Tue Aug 7th, 2007 at 05:56:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Huh? (4.00 / 2)
I don't think the situation is significantly different in the US. I have a few engineer friends that now work in Germany and the environment is similar. Management ranks in the US have a fair number of engineers in them as well for the same reasons. An engineering degree from MIT or Stanford opens the same doors (maybe even more) than MBA degrees from the same schools. While managers make more money than engineers in the corporate world, MBA degrees are to some extent disrespected by the public, known as "a dime a dozen," and certainly do not guarantee you a management track job.

The UK quip came from myself looking for a job there - the pay was about 50-70% of what it is in the US. Good luck living anywhere near London on that sort of money. Some programmers I know from the internet working for banks in London seem to a lot better, so my view is admittedly anecdotal.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Tue Aug 7th, 2007 at 06:39:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Huh? (4.00 / 3)
In France, some doors simply won't open if you don't come from the proper school - Polytechnique. The top levels of many Industrial or Finance companies are open only to engineers - although that is slowly changing.

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Tue Aug 7th, 2007 at 07:20:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Huh? (4.00 / 3)
In the US I think that's only common on Wall Street - you have to have gone to the right Ivy League school and probably been a member of the right fraternity (or have the right parents).

In my engineering experience there is very little of that. Some of it is probably due to being in the semiconductor industry my whole career. There just isn't room in the budget for non-functional employees in such a high cost, competitive industry.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Tue Aug 7th, 2007 at 07:31:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Huh? (4.00 / 3)
I didn't say they were non-functional...

Note that you can't bribe your way into Polytechnique (it's the school Jérôme went to, BTW), and graduating there as a top student is very hard. It is a meritocracy that selects early.

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Tue Aug 7th, 2007 at 07:55:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Economics and Falling Bridges | 76 comments (76 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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