Plus ça Change—Lessons from History [History]

Times are tough today; major firms face bankruptcy; financial panic waits in the wings; unemployment runs high; jobs are scarce, short term, inadequately paid, and professionally barren for well-qualified professional people; job security is a distant dream; technology changes so rapidly that it is impossible to keep informed … and the litany goes on. All too true. So how can an electrical engineer cope? How can we further develop a career? How can we enjoy the benefits of IEEE when there is shortage of time and money? What happened to the good old days? Can answers be found in the records of the good old days?