Operations - Is it low paying? Is it lousy?

When I tell people that I am interested in Operations, they come up with a couple of points, of course, against taking up a job in operations. I will try to answer what I feel about those.

1. Operations is low paying: Yes. The function has been looked upon as an ugly shop floor job, where you have to sweat out among the machinery along with the not so educated work men. Also, the finance guys will question everything that you want to invest for new operations equipment. But, its not easy to understand the operations of a company and propose measures to operate efficiently. There is a good scope for consultants who can help a company produce more efficiently.

2. Operations is Boring: Do they know how much potential is there for savings in the operations and supply chain? The existing operations at many organizations are not so lean or efficient and it strikes you as soon as you look at a production setup or supply chain. You can always come up with a better alternative. And operations is not just producing the goods, it is producing them efficiently and as we reduce the prices of the goods to accommodate the price cuts by the company to sustain the competitive advantage, it is the duty of the operations guys to produce the goods in an efficient way to reduce costs.

Supply Chain: I think its this, that is going to take the world by storm. Massive supply chains, originating at the polar ends and culminating at the middle of the earth. Can we imagine a cotton seed originating in India, exported to China, weaved into a beautiful cotton pant for the shopper at Wal-mart in US? That is what is happening in today's world. You source the raw materials from the opposite corners of the world and produce the goods. So, at each step in this chain there is a potential for savings. I think the British have done a great job during the initial days of Industrialization, when they have to source the materials from many of their colonies and produce the goods.

After all, money is just one aspect of it. Finally, I Always go where my heart feels home and not where I have to squeeze my heart to make my brain work on the things.