Thanks for the Thought

I just wanted to thank you for the "League of Competent People" editorial in Control magazine. I am just a control and instrumentation tech for a large water company. I work on our SCADA and security system, and, along with the IT department, manage our wireless network. It seems so often I get lost in the day-to-day attitude of going to work. Just going in each day and ensuring that everything's working smoothly in our system eight hours a day, five days a week, not including going in early or staying late. You sometimes feel unappreciated, if not disliked by the people you serve—especially when they ask why water costs so much. I try to explain everything that goes into getting water to their tap, only to find that they get this glazed look on their face and don't hear a word I have to say. Their minds are already made up.

Yet, your article made me see things in a different way. I do my job the best that I can. And, even though I don't feel appreciated or liked by the people I serve, I can go home each night knowing that we, our company, have and will continue to provide safe, potable water for people to drink.

It takes a little more than just turning on the faucet to get a drink. Thank you.

Mark Beppu