Would Leonardo Da Vinci Get a Job Today? 16
McBacon writes "After Leonardo Da Vinci's resume was transcribed, Wired asked Gordon Chesterman, Director of the Careers Service at the University of Cambridge, if Da Vinci would get hired today. 'What about commercial awareness? No mention of any budgetary control, meeting financial targets or a good return on capital. Few companies can afford "blue sky" stuff at any cost these days.'"
Of course not (Score:5, Funny)
Budgetary control? (Score:3, Insightful)
He was applying for a government job, as an arms manufacturer.
Re: (Score:2)
but da Vinci wouldn't be looking for a cubile job (Score:4, Insightful)
I think the article looks at da Vinci in the wrong light. He never tried to sell himself as a anything but a brilliant innovator. That gets R&D jobs. He fully understood the reality of espionage and took care in encrypting his plans just as any high-level corporation or governmental organization would require.
He may not have been a team player, but he was also centuries ahead of his time. If DARPA found someone centuries ahead of *our* time, they'd suck it up and bring the guy on.
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He may not have been a team player, but he was also centuries ahead of his time. If DARPA found someone centuries ahead of *our* time, they'd suck it up and bring the guy on.
I bet DARPA has several people who are ahead of their time (or at least highly innovative) but aren't team players. (just agreeing and adding to your comment)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Ah, but how does one know if a person is "centuries ahead of our time" or just crazy? It's always easy in hindsight.
A necessary risk (Score:2)
Given that the government has already spent fundings on things which look as absurd as Psychics [wikipedia.org] and other simiral subjects, it looks like they are ready to take the risks of hiring crazy people if that is what is needed to find the "centuries ahead of our time" person from time to time.
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No, nor would he want to. (Score:2)
Somehow I don't think people that creative actual work for other people at a 'day job'
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That would explain why our entire economy is flooded with uncreative people polluting our markets with useless gizmos so they can buy themselves volvos and play golf.
He would be more famous now, then then (Score:2)
Leonardo didn't care too much about budgets or practicality, but that's not to say he didn't lie to his patrons about them. Leonardo could -easily- get a job today, and would arguably be even more famous back then than he was in his own time. He would be self-employed inventor, selling stuff to governments, computer companies, or even on TV.
Hell, for all we know it, Leonardo DaVinci may have been re-incarnated as Ron Popeil, the inventor of the Pocket Fisherman...
Maybe (Score:1)
No, he'd be more misunderstood than ever... (Score:1)
Because of our extensive education and schooling system, his creativity would be killed by standards and accredited & accepted knowledge that he'd have to go through an learn & get approved for in order to be heard anywhere - even then - it would be pretty hard for someone THIS creative to get ANY attention at all.
You can show people a gazillion things, not even a professor would understand - unless it was written in a language that the professor understands, which takes a lifetime of study to learn