Today is a very special day. As a good friend of mine calls it, it is the start of my second life. Yesterday was my last day as an employee in industry, and today is my first day as a university professor. And, indeed, life will be very different.
Most professors I have spoken with are extremely thrilled with their jobs. They all could not imagine doing anything else, and they love their profession. As one colleague phrased it, it is like “Easter and Christmas on the same day—every day.” I’ve never heard something similar in industry, where the mood is usually much more mixed and for many employees the primary reason to show up is to get paid.
Probably the main reason is that professors don’t have a supervisor or boss. As long as they show up for their lectures, nobody tells them what to do. While throughout my career I had mostly good bosses, having no boss is even better! (Correction: My wife insists that she is now my only boss 😉 ) Additionally, in Western industry, the standard action upon discovering a problem is to look for a responsible scapegoat, whereas in academia there is much less “blame-game” going on. I will particularly enjoy never ever again being responsible for missing parts!
In any case, I think I will fit right in. I love teaching, I love researching, and I love my field of expertise on manufacturing organization, lean manufacturing, and anything related to it. And, exactly because I love teaching, I also use this first day of my second life to start my blog, AllAboutLean.com. As the title and the URL say, this blog is on all topics related to lean manufacturing. I will discuss lean manufacturing, administration, and history with a focus on practical use in addition to the unavoidable theory. My goal is to help you organize and improve your industry. I will put particular emphasis on practical tips, how to avoid mistakes, and how to increase your chances of a successful project.
I hope you will enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it. Anyway, let the second life begin!
I like you when write ” i love my field… “. I see your passion, passion is the key for all in life!
I’m happy to find this site because i love too this kind of job.
Thank you to share your experince!
Pietro
it is an exciting moment when I get access to your log, thanks for your sharing. I am from China and have been in Lean field more than 10 years since I graduated from university.
Mars