Try explaining to your average Slashie sysadmins that they're a modern eqivalent of railroad brakemen or cotton gin operators, and should be organized accordingly. See what reaction you get.
We in the IT field, no matter where in the IT field you are, are in a very sticky spot. We are not exactly "white collar workers" because we get on our hands and knees, from time to time, and do hardware/cabling work. We're not exactly "blue collar workers" either because we code, create databases, solve application/user problems (PEBKAC, generally), and other varying intellectual aspects of the career we have chosen.
Where does this leave us? Somewhere in the middle. Will unions help? Yes and no. Yes because it will provide us with a united front, a basis on which we can say "Okay, this is where I am, I have X certifications, Y experience and Z outside knowledge." No because there are people out there that feel we are paid too much for not enough *enter variable here*, and most of all... People fear what they do not understand.
We are the people who know more than they do about things that are becoming more prevalant in their lives. The average person does not understand what we have come to learn through trial and error, through long nights of sheer curiousity and through months of dealing with the collective idiots of the world (for those of us who have ever been unlucky enough to pull tech support).
We are not artists. We are not intellectuals. We are not grease monkeys. What we are is a combination of the above, with a bit of curiousity, hunger and determination thrown in.
--Lise
We are the people our parents are terrified of... Until they want on call tech support.
As I was growing up, I was raised with the belief that "things were no longer what they were like in (my parents') days. Gone were the days when you could get a "trade" education and be relatively successful.
Now things have been flipped once again. I'm two semesters away from graduating with a BA in History, and I am currently taking the semester off to get my MCSE*. Looking at the wages I will be able to make with a MCSE certification as opposed to what I could make in the field with my current degree path, or even a CS degree path, it's a no-brainer to me.
Yes, potential employers will still be looking for degrees on your resume, but they will no longer hold the weight that they once did. Anymore, especially in the tech field, a college degree states that you can stick with something for four or more years. That's all.
I'm 21, it's becoming increasingly difficult to see the reason to continue with my college education (aside from the fact that I've put this much time and money into it already, so I may as well finish it) when I can get a few certifications and be making close to, if not in excess of, a six figure salary.
The one thing that college is doing for me is it is allowing me to make contacts. However, training courses allow me to do the same thing and with people that are in my field as well. Here's the scenario: I will be spending two weeks at a training facility, at the end of those two weeks, I should be coming home with my MCSE cert in hand. At the end of four (if you don't fail any classes or take any below average credit semesters) I have a BA in History or the degree of my choice. And then what? Scrounge around for a job, when I can spend two weeks and be headhunted across the US. Or start my own firm.
Where's the discussion?
--Lise
* IMO, just a piece of paper, but that piece of paper opens a lot of doors and will make me a lot of money.
First of all, I'd like to just say I'm grinning wildly at 2600's response. "Oh, we can't have it hyperlinked? That's okay, we'll just make it inline text." Following the letter of the law, gotta love it.
It never ceases to amaze me how we, the 'net users, are constantly subject to laws created by people that rarely use the internet to do more than scan porn sites and read their email. (Yes, I am talking about the judges, politicians, etc.) Perhaps we are the ones who are causing them to fear what they do not know, however they will never understand their impact unless they bother to learn something.
The internet is possibly the truest form of anarchy (yes, you've heard this before, bear with me) and that terrifies the hell out of these old people in control. We have a system in place that there is no true way to regulate. If we don't like the rules for.uk or.au, we'll just take our domain to.it. There is no way for them to have a law that all countries will agree upon. IMO, the United States is becoming more of a dictatorship when it comes to the Internet than most of the other countries.
As long as these old men (and women) and companies/industries are in control, there will never be a law passed for the Internet that actually protects the individual users. The internet is a communication interface. I wish they would learn to treat it like one.
It has been said that there needs to be a revolution every ten years in order to keep the government honest. I think we're long overdue. --Lise
Slashdot Mirror
Why not eMail... Since it seems we're living in an eCommerce, iMac world now...
--Lise
Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can do neither grow up to be president.
Try explaining to your average Slashie sysadmins that they're a modern eqivalent of railroad brakemen or cotton gin operators, and should be organized accordingly. See what reaction you get.
We in the IT field, no matter where in the IT field you are, are in a very sticky spot. We are not exactly "white collar workers" because we get on our hands and knees, from time to time, and do hardware/cabling work. We're not exactly "blue collar workers" either because we code, create databases, solve application/user problems (PEBKAC, generally), and other varying intellectual aspects of the career we have chosen.
Where does this leave us? Somewhere in the middle. Will unions help? Yes and no. Yes because it will provide us with a united front, a basis on which we can say "Okay, this is where I am, I have X certifications, Y experience and Z outside knowledge." No because there are people out there that feel we are paid too much for not enough *enter variable here*, and most of all... People fear what they do not understand.
We are the people who know more than they do about things that are becoming more prevalant in their lives. The average person does not understand what we have come to learn through trial and error, through long nights of sheer curiousity and through months of dealing with the collective idiots of the world (for those of us who have ever been unlucky enough to pull tech support).
We are not artists. We are not intellectuals. We are not grease monkeys. What we are is a combination of the above, with a bit of curiousity, hunger and determination thrown in.
--Lise
We are the people our parents are terrified of... Until they want on call tech support.
As I was growing up, I was raised with the belief that "things were no longer what they were like in (my parents') days. Gone were the days when you could get a "trade" education and be relatively successful.
Now things have been flipped once again. I'm two semesters away from graduating with a BA in History, and I am currently taking the semester off to get my MCSE*. Looking at the wages I will be able to make with a MCSE certification as opposed to what I could make in the field with my current degree path, or even a CS degree path, it's a no-brainer to me.
Yes, potential employers will still be looking for degrees on your resume, but they will no longer hold the weight that they once did. Anymore, especially in the tech field, a college degree states that you can stick with something for four or more years. That's all.
I'm 21, it's becoming increasingly difficult to see the reason to continue with my college education (aside from the fact that I've put this much time and money into it already, so I may as well finish it) when I can get a few certifications and be making close to, if not in excess of, a six figure salary.
The one thing that college is doing for me is it is allowing me to make contacts. However, training courses allow me to do the same thing and with people that are in my field as well. Here's the scenario: I will be spending two weeks at a training facility, at the end of those two weeks, I should be coming home with my MCSE cert in hand. At the end of four (if you don't fail any classes or take any below average credit semesters) I have a BA in History or the degree of my choice. And then what? Scrounge around for a job, when I can spend two weeks and be headhunted across the US. Or start my own firm.
Where's the discussion?
--Lise
* IMO, just a piece of paper, but that piece of paper opens a lot of doors and will make me a lot of money.
First of all, I'd like to just say I'm grinning wildly at 2600's response. "Oh, we can't have it hyperlinked? That's okay, we'll just make it inline text." Following the letter of the law, gotta love it.
It never ceases to amaze me how we, the 'net users, are constantly subject to laws created by people that rarely use the internet to do more than scan porn sites and read their email. (Yes, I am talking about the judges, politicians, etc.) Perhaps we are the ones who are causing them to fear what they do not know, however they will never understand their impact unless they bother to learn something.
The internet is possibly the truest form of anarchy (yes, you've heard this before, bear with me) and that terrifies the hell out of these old people in control. We have a system in place that there is no true way to regulate. If we don't like the rules for .uk or .au, we'll just take our domain to .it. There is no way for them to have a law that all countries will agree upon. IMO, the United States is becoming more of a dictatorship when it comes to the Internet than most of the other countries.
As long as these old men (and women) and companies/industries are in control, there will never be a law passed for the Internet that actually protects the individual users. The internet is a communication interface. I wish they would learn to treat it like one.
It has been said that there needs to be a revolution every ten years in order to keep the government honest. I think we're long overdue.
--Lise