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Showerthought: My niece asks better avionics questions than some trainees
Lately, I've seen a cool thing where family members get really into what we do. My young niece started asking about why planes have so many lights and screens. She watches videos on how aircraft systems work and brings up topics like navigation aids. It's funny because her questions are often more thoughtful than what I hear from new hires. This makes me think that sharing our trade at home can spark real interest. Maybe we should encourage this more among our own families. It could help the next generation see avionics as a fun and important job.
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the_lisa1mo ago
Wow, that's actually a pretty solid argument for bringing more "show and tell" into our jobs. You're showing her this is a puzzle to solve, not just a manual to memorize (which is where some trainees get stuck). That kind of early curiosity could build a way better talent pool later on.
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laura_wright1mo ago
That bit about it being a puzzle to solve really hits home. I've seen the same thing work wonders. Last month, I had a new guy stuck on report formatting. Instead of walking him through step by step, I gave him the raw data and said 'make it look right.' He fumbled for an hour but then got it, and now he catches errors I miss. Another time, with a trainee on customer tickets, I showed them how to trace the issue back through the system like a detective story. They stopped just following scripts and started asking why things broke.
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