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Why Your Sysadmin Hates You
jfruh writes "We've learned many lessons in the fallout from Edward Snowden's whistleblowing and flight to Hong Kong, but here's an important one: Never make your sysadmin mad. Even if your organization isn't running a secret, civil-rights violating surveillance program, you're probably managing to annoy your admins in a number of more pedestrian ways that might still have blowback for you. Learn to stay on their good side by going along with their reasonable requests and being specific with your complaints."
It's an old article, but it's still relevant today: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9137708/Opinion_The_unspoken_truth_about_managing_geeks The worst characteristics of Sysadmins tend to emerge when the organization treats them badly. The stereotypes exist for a reason. The conditions that create them? Always the same.
Forcing people to use mandatory processes? Well, whatever next? Why does turning up for work when you have a hangover from the night before have to be mandatory? Doesn't suit your problems very well?
For every person's problem that's fixed by altering a process, it may well be that hundreds are adversely affected by that change. In an enterprise, there are often checks and processes in place to ensure that hundreds of projects and tasks can occur simultaneously, all being balanced and prioritised. What the company needs to happen will happen, when it's appropriate that it happens, in the interests of the company.
If you have a solution, present it as a business case. Sometimes, you may find you were right. Mostly, you'll get your eyes opened to a wider picture than you normally see, and the explanation "we don't do that, because it doesn't work under the majority of circumstances we face in the big picture".
Well then you need to get out more...
I am a systems administrator. While I am an introvert (so I don't favor large social gatherings), I do actually have both CS and business degrees and have a broad specialization. I've also never intentionally reduced anyone to tears...
we are all invisible unless we choose otherwise
What the NSA is doing goes well beyond the authorization of the Patriot act.
One place I was working for had the 'if it uses electricity it's IT' attitude, it's how I suddenly had to be support for the phone system... Not a VOIP system, but an honest to god phone system with electrical switching. They went so far as to cancel their support contract from the phone company. My reply of 'I'm not a electrician or a phone tech!' didn't do any good what so ever.
we are all invisible unless we choose otherwise
I was a psych minor, I don't think you know what an introvert means if that is your definition...
"The common modern perception is that introverts tend to be more reserved and less outspoken in groups. They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, using computers, hiking and fishing. The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, engineer, composer and inventor are all highly introverted. An introvert is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people, though he or she may enjoy interactions with close friends. Trust is usually an issue of significance: a virtue of utmost importance to an introvert is choosing a worthy companion. They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate, especially observed in developing children and adolescents. They are more analytical before speaking. Introverts are easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation from social gatherings and engagement, introversion having even been defined by some in terms of a preference for a quiet, more minimally stimulating environment."
I don't recall anything in that modern definition as relating to 'expressing feelings' or 'sharing'.
we are all invisible unless we choose otherwise
Carriers generally are http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercarrier. The Nimitz class carriers are the largest US carrier to date http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/nimitz/. They displace somewhere around 70,000 long tons of water. They carry 82 aircraft, not to mention fuel, missiles, other ordinance. Even with all that they still have room for 6000 personnel. Take out the planes and ordinance you could probably cram 7000+ people in a Nimitz. The average number of employees a company has is roughly 16 http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/279843.html. If we assume that every company on this aircraft carrier employed 100 individuals then there would be room for 700 companies. So yes, he most likely worked for a dozen companies on that one carrier alone.
Whenever a player quits EVE to go play WoW, the Average IQ of both games increase.