Secrets

**edKENdance** · 11-19-2003, 09:51 PM

Nobody on this site seems to have a problem helping others to learn more about their profession. It is more then commendable. I am learning, as a new comer that a lot of people in our profession like to keep secrets. Particularly little tricks that can make your life easier in the lab and on the retail floor and especially in dispensing. I would hope not to go into specific examples but I can if you like.
I feel, as I'm sure the majority of the optiboarders do that sharing everything we know to make our lives easier and our customers happier will only help our profession to succeed at a better and more expediant rate.
I take every little thing that I learn on this board into work and try it out. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I tell everyone around what I'm doing and why. Nobody else at work does this. I work with people that have been in the industry for 30 or 40 years. They should be passing their stuff down to us.
Perhaps it's complacency that comes with age but I can't see the day when I would ever get tired of showing new co-workers the "little" things that would make everything easier in the store. Even something as simple as removing progressive markings from a finished lens.
Do you know what I mean?

**Joann Raytar** · 11-19-2003, 10:34 PM

I know what you mean. In some respects, that is why some of us don't know if apprenticeship programs are what they are cracked up to be. I got lucky when I started and worked with a group of old Guild Opticians who were more than happy to teach me how to do things right. Now, I find that many professionals in my generation are not so giving of their abilities. Perhaps it is because they don't really know everything they would like folks to think they know.

I don't think you could find a better mix of optical generations than the folks here at OptiBoard. Each one has something valuable to add; even the folks asking questions.

I've even noticed that folks from the vendor and manufacturing sectors have been posting more frequently and they are also becomming invaluable members. To OptiBoarders from Shamir, Essilor, Transitions, Gerber-Coburn, Sola, OCI, Nano Film, Specialty Lens, Younger, Live Eyewear, Hoya, Marchon, Luxottica, Walman Optical and anyone I've forgotten - a big THANK YOU! It has been great being able to get direct information and help from you folks!

**JRS** · 11-19-2003, 11:48 PM

To be honest edKEN, some of the ones that have been in the business "X" years can't help you because they "know" how to do, but can't tell you "why" they do it. Hence, it is easier to stay quiet. I want to repeat... SOME of them, but certainly not all.

I learn something new almost every day. And sometimes from people that have been around alot less than me (1965). So don't give up! And if I can be of assistance, either email me or call my number - it's posted here somewhere. I have been fortuante enough to have learned from others over the years through association. Of course, putting my head to the grindstone (so-to-speak) didn't hurt either.

And certainly keep posting questions you want to know, and answers for that which you do know. We all appreciate it, and we all learn from it.

JRS

**chip anderson** · 11-20-2003, 06:55 AM

While we are on this note. Have you ever wondered why The CLSA, the OAA and other educational groups don't copy every lecture on video tape and make them available to us at a rather low cost (say double the cost of the tape and shipping)?

I used to attent the most marvelous lecture courses at Baylor when Louis Girrrard was head man there. They were what was called "marathon lectures" and they were great except for two things:

1) Many of the lectures were very fast, much better educated than the audience and would use unframiliiar terms with a half-second pointer illustration on a slide.
2) Not all of us could afford the time or expense to attend such wonderfull presentations.

My point, if these had been video taped and a available cheap , we could have taken a copy home and gone over it looked up the terms we were not familiar with and compared it to the pointer illustration on the slide. We might have learned more other than just be impressed with how smart Dr. Xyva was.

I realize that this might have infringed somehow on those who make thier liveing on the lecture circuit and those who provide forums for same, but the rest of us would have gotten a lot smarter.

Chip

Now so many of the brilliant lecturers are gone, retired or no longer available to us .

**paw** · 11-20-2003, 02:10 PM

edKendance,
Could this be due to competitive feelings? Here on Optiboard, we are not direct competitors with one another, so if you share your "secrets," it's not going to hurt you in any way.

If you go to a local professional meeting and discuss your "secrets" with other people at the meeting, who are operating just down the street, wouldn't that be to your disadvantage?

Or are you talking about people in the same shop not sharing their tips with co-workers in the same shop? Could it be that they WANT their performance to be better than yours, so they look better to the boss?

I think people like that have insecurities, and you should feel pleased that you must be performing your job well enough that they seem to be threatened by you.

I have found Optiboard to be tremendously educational. Maybe continuing eduation points should be given for daily reading of the posts, ha, ha. :D

**harry a saake** · 11-20-2003, 09:08 PM

One of the main ideas of the tips on dispensing thread i started was exactly that, but i was never able to get all to participate, and i know there has to be a lot more tips out there. I would like to see some others participate in that thread.
.....One of the reasons,after much discussion, that Steve put that thread up near the top of the general discussion forum, was two fold, one so he would not have to start another whole section which probably would have been expensive, and it was an easy way for folks to see it right away and join in.

**grace angel** · 11-21-2003, 07:55 PM

Hi EdKenDance! I just wanted to agree with you regarding some Opticians not wanting to help others learn. I honestly believe its an insecurity problem they have. I've always believed that by sharing your knowledge you can learn even more!! I fortunately have a great boss that is helping me learn and putting up with my constant questions. I feel blessed to have him for a boss. My other boss never wanted to show me anything. Well thank God for the souls on opitboard. It is through this type of communication that our skill and art will continue strongly. I hope to see the day when we can refract again. Strength comes in numbers and if we fight each other by not helping, we fail as a whole. God Bless Ya!

**hcjilson** · 11-22-2003, 07:08 AM

That us what grows the profession, and how we all get better.

For Harry- You may not realize it, but your thread is the most viewed thread on Optiboard with 14,507 hits! Congratulations.

Look what good can come from a single thread...not Harry's, but this one. Chip came up with an idea for OAA by asking the question "why hasn't this been done"? I think the idea has merit and I'll warrant that the reason it hasn't been done is because no one has thought of doing it!

Many times ideas and techniques are not shared is because the 'student' is too reticent to ask. Some things are taken for granted and I am probably the most quilty in that regard. The fact is that the experienced optical person does not know what the inexperienced optical person does not know. Don't be afraid to ask.....there's no such thing as a dumb question!

hj

**edKENdance** · 11-22-2003, 10:34 PM

Everyones responses to this post are really appreciated. As for competetive feelings PAW, it has nothing to do with that as we are all on the same team. JRS, I loved your response and your willingness to share and then again, that's why we're all here. Maybe I'll give you a call to say Hi. It's always nice to put a voice together with a name y'know.
I think the theory that some people just don't remember why they do the things they do carries some weight. The other day I was working with a recently liscensed optician and she asked me if it was ok for her to edge a spherical lens even though the axis dots weren't aligned.

Perhaps I'm just working with people that aren't as interested in the occupation as myself. Maybe the old-timers are just disillusioned and thinking about retirement. Thanks again Optiboard for having access to people who really care about their proffession and have a desire to let others succeed in it.

I seriously don't know what I would do without a site like this.