From: Bill Cochell Subject: INDUSTRY: (1) Truth in Advertising (2) Employment in Orlando? Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 14:04:24 MST Greetings & felicitations, I have a couple of non-technical questions in the area of Virtual Reality. The first question is in regards to a technical school here in Phoenix, The CAD Institute. The school is an authorized AutoCAD Training Center. By their account, the largest in the nation. A couple of weeks ago I went to a seminar (read recruiting pitch) on Virtual Reality. The seminar was ok at best. The only information they provided was in the form of 2 TV news reports done on the subject. They presented themselves as the only place in the country where a person could learn how to use Virtual Reality. They claimed that people were looking to them to train the future users of this new technology. They said that they were a Beta test site for AutoDesk's CyberSpace. In addition their definition of VR include AutoDesk's 3d Studio and Animator. Now, the question, how much of this is true and does the VR community in general include 3d modelling in the definition of VR? I know there are several universities that are doing research in this area. The pitch was that their 2 year course (of which only the last 3 month term would cover VR) costs only ;) $27,000 whereas a 4 year college degree would cost at least twice that. I'm not even thinking about enrolling, I'm just curious about truth in advertising. My second question is in regards to the Orlando area. I read with great interest the posting by Brian Blau and would like to know what the economic picture is like in the Orlando area. What is the un-employment rate, what kinds of firms are hiring? that sort of thing. I have a Master of Computer Science degree from Arizona State University. I am considering getting a PhD in computer science. My undergraduate degrees are in Architecture (as in buildings) and Engineering (as in HVAC). I am interesting in doing research in visualization and simulating with respect to Architecture. I have experience in Architecture, Engineering (HVAC and Software). Would I be able to find employment in Orlando? I have a wife and two kids, so I wouldn't be able to play the poor graduate student. Well, actually I could, but it wouldn't be fair to my family. Any input will be greatly appreciated. I would prefer that you reply via email to bcochell@ips.iacd.honeywell.com as opposed to posting replies. Thanks, Bill Cochell | bcochell@ips.iacd.honeywell.com | (602) 436-4832 Honeywell | Industrial Automation and Control | Mail Stop: G1 | 16404 North Black Canyon Highway | Phoenix, AZ 85023