The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4962

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Chapter 4962 Poor Teaching Qualifications

Every Senior and higher became obsessed with earning teaching kudos from the Kingdom of Mechs.

This was because it was insanely difficult for mech designers to successfully advance to the rank of Master Mech Designer and Star Designer!

The huge disparity in numbers between Seniors, Masters and Star Designers already made that clear.

If mech designers weren't brilliant or clever enough to produce enough results in their regular work activities, then it was definitely worthwhile to spend more time on teaching classes.

This was because if mech designers became stagnant or got stuck in their current research, investing more time and effort into doing the same did not necessarily yield any further results.

The law of diminishing returns hit really hard in these instances.

It made sense for mech designers to focus on teaching instead. This not only allowed them to get into contact with new perspectives and enriched their theoretical understanding, but also encouraged the Kingdom of Mechs to give them the push they needed to make a breakthrough in their research!

An argument could be made that the Kingdom of Mechs explicitly distorted the mech industry to enforce an unnatural pattern of behavior.

Ves was sure if this mechanism did not exist, much fewer mech designers would be willing to waste their time on raising ignorant brats!

He had no problem with this reward mechanism, though. Many mech designers including himself benefited massively from the open and accessible learning environment. It would have been a lot harder for them to get started if the discipline of mech designer was only reserved for a small group of rich and wealthy elites!

"How much time do mech designers have to spend on teaching them for the benefits to become significant enough?"

Master Goldstein smiled. "There is no single answer to that question. More promising and talented mech designers such as yourself likely do not need to prioritize this too much. Nonetheless, it is always worthwhile for every mech designer to spend at least a few hours of their day on offering guidance to future mech designers. This is because the reward scale is not linear. Even a small but earnest effort will already earn you a healthy amount of recognition from the Kingdom of Mechs. After that, it becomes harder to earn more benefits as you teach more students. You will still gain more advantages, but they will not be as great as before."

This meant that the quantity strategy had its limits. Blindly teaching a lot of students was not necessarily profitable anymore if it took too much time away from core design activities.

"If this is the case, then I suppose it is important for mech designers such as myself to strike the right balance." Ves concluded. "Our research and design projects are part of our fundamentals, so we cannot neglect these core activities. Teaching a little bit already helps, but teaching more students and taking up a greater share of their curriculums will cause the Kingdom of Mechs to recognize us more."

The MTA Master nodded. "You have a good understanding of this already. What I also have to add is that the environment has a large influence on your 'yield'. The majority of third-class mech design students have a low ceiling. They may become household names in their states, but it is unlikely for them to radiate their work any further. Second-class mech designers are much more rewarding overall. They can design stronger mechs that have greater significance and they can more easily advance to the higher ranks."

Ves recalled Master Benedict mentioning that it was always better to teach at any first-class mech design university than the most renowned second-class mech design university.

Was it because of this? Was it easier for first-class mech designers to realize their design philosophies and attain great success in their careers?

"What about first-class mech designers, Master?"

"The study environment of first-raters is different. Many schools impose high entry requirements. Combined with their extensive augmentations, the average quality of a group of first-class mech design students is much higher. With their strong foundations and stronger state or family support, first-class mech designers are more likely to advance, though the absolute yield still remains fairly low."

From what Ves could understand through his prior studies, first-class mech designers were able to reach the Journeyman and Senior ranks with greater ease due to their superior study and work circumstances.

It was the jump to Master that truly challenged them. First-class mech designers had become too accustomed to relying on their augmentations, family support and the conveniences granted by high technology that they lacked too much practice in conducting original research.

It was not easy for them to rely purely on themselves to blaze a new trail in an untouched or underutilized branch of technology!

That said, first-class mech designers weren't all that shabby. Their superior environments and individual circumstances made a huge difference. Their work was also a lot more directly related to raising the upper ceiling of mechs, so even minor first-class innovations yielded greater rewards from the Kingdom of Mechs!

Ves slowly nodded. "I have a clearer understanding of the importance of the quality of students. I guess I need to find the best possible mech design universities that are open to hiring a mech designer like myself. What do you think about my prospects?"

It was a certainty that Master Vayro Goldstein studied everything that the MTA knew about Ves. Someone as clever as an MTA Master must have already put a lot of thought on this subject.

The bald Master looked ready to share his own thoughts. "You are not a conventional teaching candidate to say the least. Educational institutions generally seek teachers who have proven to possess a certain degree of stability. In addition, you are too young. You may have accrued more accomplishments and designed more excellent mechs than your peers, but your proven qualities do not necessarily match the requirements that schools seek in their teaching staff."

That did not sound good, but Ves already expected to hear this kind of answer. He knew quite well that he did not exactly fit the mold of a good and reliable teacher.