Slashdot Mirror
Keeping the Lights On
An anonymous reader wrote to mention an IBM article examining the role that older workers, experienced with legacy systems, should play in system maintenance. From the article: "Many enterprises still execute critical business operations ... via older software systems that run on large, mainframe computers rather than individual PCs. To meet changing business needs, these companies continually update, extend, and integrate their systems. Paradoxically, many of these companies also have policies that threaten the single greatest source of knowledge about their older systems: their most senior personnel. Although the aging workforce represents a vast pool of talent and experience, these businesses neither actively recruit senior workers nor provide incentives to retain those on staff.1 Instead, they mistakenly assume that they can hire younger, lower-paid people to perform the same tasks."
Ha! Don't assume anything is obvious.
You assume that the "old" engineer has no idea about Linux. You also assume that the young engineer has the first clue about what the company really needs.
Both very very bad assumptions.
Experience is the key here. Sure, the younger guy might have a good idea, but spitting buzzwords at the boss without the first clue about what it's ultimately going to mean to the company will do only two things: 1) Peg you as a loudmouth know-it-all or 2) Get you put in charge of making that migration.... Neither of those are going end up pretty.
When YOU get to be an older engineer, sit back and listen to all the younger guys that assume YOU don't have a clue about what's going on. You're not going to like it one bit.