How Much Respect Do You Get?

droidlev asks: "In our continually fluctuating economy I have seen a drastic change in the level of respect that I receive. As a technician I've grown accustomed to a heightened level of respect when I walk into a client's office. Not to say that I have a God complex, however, it feels good to walk into a room and be appreciated. I'm passionate for the computer work that I do; I'm 'GEEK' for it. People know that I'm there to help and solve their problems. There is good amount of value in this extra level of appreciation and respect. This is especially true when you are developing business relationships (and of course it never hurts to be liked). In recent times, however, I've been cast in a different light; actually more like a darkened shadow. I am now seen as a necessary evil instead of the 'all powerful technician.' So I ask what your experiences have been, either as a computer technician or another professional? Have you seen a change in the level of respect that you receive?" "Businesses are trying to save every penny they have. Unless something significant goes wrong, they handle a situation themselves. This only compounds the severity of a problem. By the time I get there, everything has gone to hell and I get a look (the it's-all-your-fault look) from every cubicle and every office. In the past, exceptionally dedicated service translated to loyal clients that didn't mind paying a little bit more. Once I was the problem solver, now it seems I am yet another flame to burn their money."

Comments

I'm not the only one!

[null etc.]

Have you seen a change in the level of respect that you receive?

Thank gosh! I thought I was crazy, and for along time I thought I was the only to whom this has happened.

I used to command a lot of respect when I was a technician in the 80's. Of course back then, I had to wear a suit and shower daily, which is against my religion.

Now, thanks to the ever-increasing tolerance and appreciation for various lifestyles and religions, I am now permitted to wear business casual, and it has been ruled unconstitutional and against my religious rights to force me to shower. So I'm glad I gained a bit of freedom, but I noticed that clients seem to resent me for it and try to show their displeasure by standing as far away from me as possible.

Also, I think there are bad impressions about me because so many of American jobs go to my relatives overseas. They are hard workers, and they deserve the jobs! Just because we cannot speak in an accent that is understood by our customers DOES NOT make us unqualified to represent!

Also personally my boss really seems to hate the fact that I leave work 3 times a day to go pray. I don't understand, it's only 1 hour of prayer every now and then, and it's not like my presence is missed! My only comfort is that he will be sent to the eternal tar trap in the fifth level of Zimboonu when he is finally striken for his transgressions.

I don't know. Over the past few years, it seems as though I have been getting more and more opportunities and freedoms, but now more people resent me. I thought this was the land of "live freely as a free person might, doing freely as you wish!"

Re:Respect...

[deanj]

You've obviously never worked for a dirtbig....

Re:Class.

[shaitand]

"Your B-school educated manager, or PhD-awarded engineer or researcher, is going to give you respect for a job well done. But if you think that translates into access to a new tier of status and esteem, think again."

Sure but you have it backwards. Just because you have listed a class that believes themselves above others does not make them above others. The problem is that most people who have wasted money on an expensive school or excessive schooling (By the time you have a bachlors you have garnered everything worthwhile your going to get from the formal education system and then some) feel that they are entitled to something for it. IQ is a better of measure to use for class than education any day of the week.

Your position at work, education, or physical prowess does not define superiority; your intellect does. The managers who can even begin to rate intellectually compared with techs, programmers, or engineers are VERY rare indeed. Business is the well known avenue for those with virtually no intellectual prowess.

Re:Yeeah, I don't buy it.

[syukton]

It's amazing how much respect you earn when people think you're a competent, educated intellectual.

In other words: Capitalize "I" as a pronoun and don't confuse "your" with "you're" and maybe you too will eventually earn some respect. This is actually a great deal of the problem; AIM kiddies that don't know how to properly form a sentence calling themselves "geeks" and "nerds" and giving the real mccoy a bad name. It has nothing to do with computers being perceived as infallible when they are in reality fallible; it has to do with the way you project yourself.

If you project yourself like a child, you'll be treated like one.