HP to cut 25-30k jobs • Hacker News Board

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#21

Post by wpietri » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 4:57 AM UTC

aggronn wrote: post #11

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

If there's as much demand for him as you're describing, he could probably make a much better living doing consulting for these companies than he could working for HP.

Definitely. Or, if consulting isn't to his taste, take a job with one of them.

In his shoes, I'd also make sure I keep contact information for all his best customers. Because if he gets laid off suddenly, he'll want to go back to them at least to say, "Hey, do any of your vendors need a reliable field service engineer?"

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#22

Post by navbaker » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 4:58 AM UTC

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

It sounds like the situation my dad was in. He had to switch careers in his early 50s, going from project engineering for a defense contractor to right-of-way acquisition and management in the oil and natural gas industry. He lost his job again at 60, but was able to parlay his leadership and management skills into a high level position with a company in Houston, partly through contacts he made while learning the oil business ropes.

Your father needs to put some serious effort into getting on paper all the skills, both technical and soft "people-type", that he's learned over his career and put himself out there. Minneapolis is a big city and it sounds like he's made quite a few contacts that he could leverage for help getting a new career.

Above all, encourage him not to give up!

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#23

Post by jfoutz » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 4:59 AM UTC

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

Your dad needs to think about the next best 5 guys, and how to pick them up for cheap when the layoffs happen. At his age striking out on his own will seem absolutely terrifying.

Work on him for a few months. He must have built up some serious contacts over the years. His pitch is straightforward. HP can't actually support their products anymore, they don't have the staff. He knows the hardware inside and out. Sell support contracts. Snipe the best after the layoffs.

You don't look for a job when you need one. this rumor is going to terrify customers. Since he has good personal relationships with those fortune 1000, he needs to monetize that. He must have some idea of what HP charges for his time. He can send the new guys, and come in to rescue at the end.

I know this sounds crazy. Think really hard about it though. There isn't anyplace that will hire him at 100k. He needs to set up his own shop. Think of it this way, 0.05 It sounds super scary. Hell, it is super scary. If he needs stability for the next 15 years or so, this is a really good way to do it. Really, in his position, as good as he is, it's less scary than going and looking for work.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#24

Post by bduerst » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 4:59 AM UTC

spacehome wrote: post #17

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

> They cannot afford to lose healthcare coverage. And with Obamacare, they don't have to. They should be able to purchase decent coverage on the exchange, right? That's what we did when I quit my job.

I think with the mother you would want at least a gold level plan, right? That's pretty expensive.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#25

Post by qq66 » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 5:00 AM UTC

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

One possibility is for him to take a job at one of his clients, running the procurement process for HP products and services (more generally, the business lines he supports). He probably knows a lot about the cost structures for HP and competitor offerings and can help the client not only drive the hardest bargain and play competitors off each other, but also minimize spend (inhousing less complicated services, etc.)

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#26

Post by nugget » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 5:00 AM UTC

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

If your dad becomes unemployed and has very little income, he would most certainly qualify for a heavily subsidized ACA health care plan with caps on maximum out of pocket expenses. And that would tide him over until his mid 60s when medicare (and social security) kicks in. Point is, don't stress too much, they will likely be fine. Health care for the poor and elderly in the US is a much more accessible and affordable resource than we are led to believe, especially in a state like MN which has lots of doctors.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#27

Post by abtinf » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 5:00 AM UTC

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

I sympathize with your family's predicament and I hope something works out.

At the same time, I would suggest severely redacting your post. Its one thing to overshare the details of your own life, its another to overshare those of someone else (particularly their income, health, and other factors which might affect hiring).

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#28

Post by brudgers » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 5:03 AM UTC

ekianjo wrote: post #7

> The tech company has struggled over the last decade to keep up with changing demands as customers move away from desktop computers. Maybe, but laptop or desktop, HP has been always synonymous with crappy quality and design - among the worst I have ever seen. I just can't wait for them to stop making PCs so that we can get at least half-decent laptops from other manufacturers.

I have an HP11C calculator I bought in 1989 I still use. It cost almost $100 back then. The first HP printer I bought was a DeskJet 550c. Made a beautiful whooshing and humming noises. Kept it for more than 10 years. When they discovered a tendency for premature wear on the pickup rollers, HP sent me a maintenance kit: one day it just showed up with instructions. I had a zd7000 laptop in the early oughts. It was pretty badass for it's day. Lasted until my boy closed the top with a pen on the keyboard and cracked the screen.

HP was a different company that made good stuff.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#29

Post by bduerst » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 5:03 AM UTC

ekianjo wrote: post #7

> The tech company has struggled over the last decade to keep up with changing demands as customers move away from desktop computers. Maybe, but laptop or desktop, HP has been always synonymous with crappy quality and design - among the worst I have ever seen. I just can't wait for them to stop making PCs so that we can get at least half-decent laptops from other manufacturers.

They're the cost leader, along with Dell. The modern equivalent is Samsung with a lot of its cheaper hardware.

Sure, Samsung has it's high end flagships, but so does HP (elitebooks). Just because they've filled one shitty niche doesn't mean they're all bad.

Re: HP to cut 25-30k jobs

#30

Post by joshmn » Wed, Sep 16, 2015, 5:04 AM UTC

jfoutz wrote: post #23

joshmn wrote: post #8

My father is a field-service engineer for HP in Midwest (based out of Minneapolis, but he has calls all over from Fargo, ND to Mpls, MN to Madison, WI). He is _the_ go-to for their biggest, most senior, most mission-critical clients. He put together UMN's Alpha setup, is the only guy that USPS will call for help, MNSCU, Best Buy, UHG... basically, anyone with an HP setup (server or printer) that's a Fortune 1000 (and…

Your dad needs to think about the next best 5 guys, and how to pick them up for cheap when the layoffs happen. At his age striking out on his own will seem absolutely terrifying. Work on him for a few months. He must have built up some serious contacts over the years. His pitch is straightforward. HP can't actually support their products anymore, they don't have the staff. He knows the hardware inside and out. Sell s…

This sounds like a great idea, but I don't know if he's such an entrepreneur or risk-taker. Some people are, some people aren't. It's a natural thing.

I'm not sure of the papers he's signed (non-competes...), or the contracts that HP has with their customers (there must be some), but... he could definitely "get the band together" and pull off such a feat. Again, I think this goes back to the contracts he had.

He's one of 4 remaining from the "blue days" (time with Digital); I think they'd be able to pull it off if they did go this route. They're all pretty awesome.