1957: DOUGLAS WILL TRAIN YOU TO PROGRAM BIG COMPUTERS; BURROUGHS ALWAYS NEEDS _Good_ ENGINEERS

[hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com]

Sixty years ago, the Douglas aircraft company (later McDonnel
Douglas) advertised for programmers. The bold large type
headline said, "DOUGLAS WILL TRAIN YOU TO PROGRAM BIG COMPUTERS",
looking almost like a cheap ad on a matchbook, rather than a
dignified annoucement for professionals.

The photo, which didn't reproduce well, may be of an
IBM 701 computer, though it's hard to tell.

Other companies, like Burroughs and GE, also ran full page
display help-wanted ads (see below).

The Douglas ad ran in COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for September,
1957, and the Burroughs ad ran in C&A October 1975, both
available on bitsavers. (Other companies advertised as well.)

Curiously, one ad is for California, one ad is for suburban
Philadelphia on the opposite side of the country.

Given the sixty years, anyone who responded to these ads would
be retired today, and many wouldn't even be around.

I wonder what became of the people who responded to those ads--
how did their career fare? On the plus side, both Santa Monica
and Paoli were young but growing affluent suburban communities,
so buying a starter home was probably affordable to a young
engineer. Those homes likely appreciated in value very nicely.
The good engineers likely moved on up to a nice suburban home.

I'm not quite as sure about their career itself. I'd _guess_
at Douglas they did well for the first 15 or so years. But in
the early 1970s, the aerospace industry had a major recession,
and a great many engineers were let go, creating a nasty glut.
So, here was a specialized aersopace engineer, with a wife and
young children, and no job in a lousy market. I remember news
reports of it being very rough on them. (I knew some who were
able to take classes and transition from engineering into
application programming and got new jobs, often at a big pay
cut from what they were used to.)

As to Burroughs in Paoli, I think that managed to avoid the
1970s engineering recession. I believe their computer business
remained strong for a few more years. But then Burroughs
faced hard times, merged with Unisys, and faced continuing
contraction. I'd _guess_ a lot of Burroughs engineers lost
their jobs in the 1990s, when they were roughly age 55.
That must have been hard as they were still too young to
retire, but too old to be an attractive hire.

Would anyone care to offer a perspective on this?


* * *

DOUGLAS WILL TRAIN YOU TO PROGRAM BIG COMPUTERS

... a challenging new field that
offers ground-floor opportunities to qualified personnel

Five years ago, there were less than 100 specialists
programming big computers. It is expected that by
1965, industry's needs will exceed 100,000.

Douglas Aircraft, a pioneer in this field, is rapidly
expanding its computing operations. You will be
trained while working with expert programmers. In
Southern California, you can conveniently attend
some of the nation's leading universities offering
specialized courses in computing. Advancement will
be as rapid as your ability to apply your new talents.

Our computing engineers are involved in every
phase of aircraft and missiles work ... including
many long-range commercial and military projects
of vital importance.

Programming requires an alert and logical mind
and the ability to organize large projects without
losing sight of details. If you have had formal training
in mathematics, science or engineering, your
professional future at Douglas in programming can
be unlimited.

wrlte:
CHIEF, COMPUTING ENGINEERING SECTION
DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

* * *

BURROUGHS ALWAYS NEEDS _Good_ ENGINEERS

In a day when fascinating new computing concepts
have swept scientific thought past all known barriers,
it is easy to forget that behind all this amazing progress
lies the one essential element for its success -
MAN.

Although he creates computers and electronic brains
that numb the imagination, the thinking man knows
he is the first, and the most indispensable, of all computers.
His genius at enslaving machinery to work
with speed and accuracy surpassing his own is shown
by today's electronic computers, which save man eons
of time in solving problems recently considered hopelessly
complex.

Solving many of these problems has enabled man to
plan further accomplishments for his new electronic
servant. In the future this remarkable assistant will
handle languages as well as numbers; it will be
capable of diagnosing and treating many illnesses;
and, in industry, will actually "run" a plant. These
are but a few instances of the computer's apparently
limitless potential in a future restrained only by the
boundaries of man's imagination.

Endowing computers with these near-human capacities
is the special work of our talented creative teams
at the Burroughs Research Center in Paoli, Pa. At
this modern facility you can take part in our ambitious
program, tackle new and refreshing assignments,
guarantee your professional future and give
your family the advantages of modern living in an
established suburban community.

Our present needs are for people experienced in
Electronic Digital Computers, Guided Missiles, Radar,
Fire Control Systems and allied areas of electronics,
with specific emphasis on men who by education or
experience can qualify for the openings listed herein.


Write or Telephone
Placement Manager
For Interview at Your Convenience
BURROUGHS CORPORATION
Research Center
PAOLI, PA.

[photo young man in a sport jacket, with a pipe, studying some papers]

* * *