[Today’s run: 3.2 miles]
Back in my days at Iowa State, one of the graduate students who was in my social circle was from Minnesota. I believe he was in the computer engineering program. He attended our wedding (and I remember the present he gave us). I believe he got his PhD some time after we had moved away from Ames.
Oh, also, he and I were in the same compilers class. He helped me get a good grade on our team project.
He went on from there to be an academic for awhile. Then he launched out on a career in agricultural robotics. Eventually he ended up at John Deere where he has become something of an expert on inventing and patenting. He holds a lot of patents. Eventually they made him a John Deere Fellow, with lots of fanfare.
Today I learned that he has been laid off. Deere is going through one of their periodic contractions. I’ve been around for just under 5 years and this is the second contraction during my tenure which included engineering people. The previous event was an old-people buy out. And of course they have regular inhales and exhales on the factory floor environment.
I understand that they also laid off another John Deere Fellow in this event. I don’t know who that is or what his speciality happens to be.
I don’t think I am on the line this time. My little work group has a lot to do. But who knows.
I’ve been laid off before. The last time it happened to me was the same week they made me Employee of the Week. Somewhere around here I have a little ribbon thing that they presented to me at an employee meeting. That was my third in a string of three forced exits, 20+ years ago. I’ve had things pretty stable since then.