On Craftsmanship

Craftsmanship: trendsetting hipsters appreciated it, and taught others to love it too. Once one began to think about the item (the craftsmanship), one might begin to think about the maker (craftsman). How did craftsmanship fall to the wayside? Compensation is often based on deliverables. Engineers can take a results-oriented methodology and simply “swap the module” with a new part. Others will troubleshoot the problem and break out the soldering iron. (On consideration, an engine room Lots of spare parts lying around is likely able to afford paying its crew well). The craftsman, versus the parts-swapper, goes unappreciated until the troubleshooting skill becomes unique. The unicorn who is the “one guy” who can repair that license printer at the Coast Guard unit in Martinsburg WV, or “Gandolf”, the last person who knows the intern workings of the machinery control system. Then, the craftsman becomes invaluable.