What's your brew, as in life trade

[jensen]

Hi,

Just a member for a few days now, stumbling on this thread....

After high school, I assigned to the "Leidsche Instrumentmakers School", a school for precision technology (don't know the English word for it), afterwords I studies Physics and specialised in Photonics and Machine Vision.

When finished school, I found out that the society didn't need highly educated technicians (this was around the 90's, can you believe it ?), so I was jobless. After a while, I met the director of my high school, and he said me that I didn't have to be ashamed not having a job, because the Royal family never worked for their sustenance, according to him . He also explained that the job market is some sort of sea, with a wave of jobs every 5-6 years or so.

Anyway, I bought a bike (XT500) from the money I earned, working in an Irish Pub during my study, and went to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to drink a cup of tea. After flying back to the Netherlands everything was changed on the job market, a new wave came in. I applied at a small company, and was taken, my fist job was a fact (I'm still grateful for the words of wisdom from my director). I worked for 17 years as a machine vision application engineer at this company, until the company decided to focus on producing instead of research, so I quit the job. In that time I worked at different projects around the world as a machine vision architect, in the UK as well, mainly for the beer and beverage industry, tobacco industry and food industry.

I took a year for doing nothing else than working on bikes, but that wasn't satisfying enough, so I applied for a job at a big Japanese company,and got a job as a Product Engineer Machine Vision, and that's still the job I have. I like my job, but couldn't do it without wrenching on bikes and riding them. I need to work with my hands, as a counterweight for my job. Last month I had my 50th birthday, so I'm an old geezer, as they say.

My plans are to step down a bit, trying to work no more then 50-60 hours a week, but that's hard, because there are too many projects, and not enough experienced people in this specialism at the moment. Because high end Machine vision becomes more and more available due to pricing, more and more company's are integrating a machine vision system in their machines. Especially in combination with robotics, the markets are booming.

But luckily I can take the classic bikes regularly to my costumers, so riding the bikes is covered.....

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[Yamahawk]

That's a nice dream, Jensen!!
Charlie

[jensen]

Thanks,

But I'm sorry to say, the last picture shows a CB450 K0, and not a Honda dream. But I have to admit that in the dark, and from this angle one could interpret the bike as a dream, but it's a CB450 bomber (hence the front fork set-up).

Jensen

[mike the bike]

UPDATE. ..

I started the driving tuition on Wednesday, with no learners on Monday or Tuesday I did my old job for 2 days.
Wednesday started at 11:00 with a guy who had failed his test and ended with a guy who had his test on Friday. 
For once I got home totally unstressed, teeth unclenched, not in need of a pint and not shouting at the kids.  I should have done this year's ago.

[Nurse Julie]

They say a change is as good as a rest Mike, I think you're proving that can be the case. Well done you.

[Green1]

Did Friday guy pass?

[mike the bike]

No.  I only taught him 3 hours and had a lot of faults to put right - mainly not checking LH mirror when exiting roundabouts and turning L.
I accompanied him on the test and saw him pulling away from the side of the road with no blind spot check and no 360 check after the emergency stop.
Apart from that,  he was good.

[Green1]

I hated every second of my car test. Wasn't really interested in it but needed a van for work.
I loved the bike test though and it felt like it was over in seconds.

[mike the bike]

I don't think anyone relishes the car test.  The only good bit is when you pass and having a few beers afterwards

[matthewmosse]

It took me a fair while to pass either test, only finally did the car one a couple of years ago. Worst bit was overcoming the bad habits from a decade on the full bike licence, apparently lifesavers are not a good observation to keep doing in cars and after too long on a 125 I had a tendency to dawdle.

[petermigreen]

I don't think anyone relishes the car test.  The only good bit is when you pass and having a few beers afterwards

Wait, you're supposed to drink the beers 'afterwards'?!

That explains everything now..

[mike the bike]

It helps to have a pint beforehand, settles the nerves.  I always play better skittles after a few jars.

[matthewmosse]

What helps is to have your instructor along for the test. I am pretty sure in 2 tests I failed, 1 bike and 1 car, that had an insructor had been along I might have passed. Annoying to fail with a clean sheet bar 1 bad fault marked that you don't agree with. Anyhow, good luck on the new proffesion. Not a job I think I could do.

[mike the bike]

The candidate is asked if they want their instructor present on the test.  We get hear the debrief anyway, and all the excuses. " I would have passed if it wasn't for....."

How does it work on a bike test, instructor rides pillion does he?

[matthewmosse]

Two of the 3 bike test attempts I did the examiner was in a car, the instructor could have come along easily. When it comes to fails, most are a fair cop, learn from mistakes, inprove your driving, we can all inprove, then there are the times you think not really, so much of it is subjective. Pull out of a junction with a car just visable in the far distance in one town, it's a fail, don't pull out with a car same distance away at same speed and you can fail thanks to undue hesitation. On the other hand one must look at how many new drivers get wiped out or crash early on in their driving career. I guess it is a hard compromise.