1. Get a Google Voice phone number (or some other IP number) 2. Use it on all web sites, credit applications, loyalty cards, etc 3. Never answer it 4. If a number doesn't leave a voice mail, block it 5. Check the voice mail, if it's a scammer, block it 6. If it's a real call, let them know your real number 7. Now, setup a 'fake' email 8. Use it on all web sites, credit applications, loyalty cards, etc. 9. Check it from time to time in case email you want gets in there so you can update that one email 10. Move the rest to trash and setup trash to delete all email older than 30 days.
And.. probably the most important 1. Never answer a call on your real phone unless it's in your contacts. If it doesn't go to voice mail, it wasn't important anyway. 2. Stop downloading every stupid game, be more selective. This also virtually eliminates downloading a virus 3. Use incognito mode when shopping or searching 4. Be sure you don't automatically download pictures in your email client. 5. Only put on social media profiles the bare minimum information. And never make any of it public.
There.. solved that for you. Without the need for any government regulation. It's what I use and it works.
A very bad example of 'weaponizing' the dislike button. YouTube rewind truly sucked the big one. Some of those that participated said as much, although they were careful in their choice of words so they wouldn't bite the hand that feeds them.
And.. I don't care. I have never let the number of dislikes dissuade me from watching something. And since I rarely watch anything in 'trending', I would say the number of likes or views a video gets is also not relevant.
The only ego being bruised is that of the creator.
I already have one of these (look up Elephant Trunk on Home Depot). It won't handle really big packages, but most packages will fit. It's normally unlocked, but when someone puts a package in it and closes it, it locks. It's bolted to the porch. It's a bit flimsy, a crowbar could probably open it. But it should deter the snatch-and-grab thieves.
Problem is, no one will use it. I've had it for a month, and no delivery person has put a package in it. I've put the security code in Amazon, UPS, USPS, and FedEx delivery instructions so everyone has access to it. But none of those services provide 'parcel locker' as an option.
Last week, I taped a 'Put packages in this and close the lid' label on it. But of course, I haven't gotten any packages big enough to be delivered to the house yet.
It's sitting in a box on my desk next to my Google mini. It was a gift, I prefer Google.
So the sales numbers are just that, sales numbers. Doesn't mean how many are being used, except as an upper limit.
Why don't I use it?? Because I don't feel like managing two different systems Google Home does everything I need, I prefer Google Home and I'd rather spend $35 on another Google mini if I need one than bother maintaining two different systems.
... if people have the money and time to waste on this. Otherwise, they would be out looking for jobs and wouldn't have enough money for the internet.
Or else all of the whinings about millennials living paycheck to paycheck is only because they have misplaced financial priorities. And don['t know how to do things for themselves so they have plenty of time to spend doing... nothing of value.
I admit it, I play video games. Free ones. When I have the time from doing other things.
Ben and Jerry's used capitalism to sell mediocre ice cream to sheep willing to pay a higher price to feel good. Starbucks and Apple do the same thing. Apple and Microsoft used capitalism to take pre-existing ideas, repackage them, and sell the result. Apple wrapped them in a pretty package and sold them for more. Microsoft wrapped them in a brown-paper wrapper and sold lots. That is the nature of capitalism, find a consumer for your product. Not everyone wants to wait in line at Starbucks for mediocre, overpriced coffee.
Including banks in the 'too big to fail' comparison of capitalism is wrong. Banks were too big to fail because of the amount of capital they had, not because of their impact on capitalism itself. If Google or Facebook or Twitter failed tomorrow, we would all still move on. Because no one really needs Facebook or Twitter, and many of Google services exist in other forms or software such as Android is freely available.
It was a lie that GM and Chrysler were too big to fail, another company would have purchased them, renegotiated all of the union contracts, and not cost the American taxpayer one dime. The lie was told so politicians could benefit.
The breakup of Ma Bell was good because they owned technology no one else had. Google could be broken up into pieces, ads, tech, etc. But it isn't a matter of no one else having the tech, it's a matter of Google doing it 'better' and attracting more customers. Those subsidiaries would still have a perceived advantage, I'd still buy Android phones because IOS is a POS, in my opinion.
And no, I don't have a Google phone. Because they don't have a monopoly.
What a sham... signers of the Paris treaty didn't follow up with their promises. What makes one think this one will be any different.
Meanwhile, China and India continue to blast out all the CO2 they want under the excuse they need to grow their economy. While the US is chastised even though it is reducing CO2 emissions.
The best and brightest who have already proven themselves get those things. The rest of you get the crap jobs that the rest of us used to do. Somebody has to do them, and it's usually the new guy.
I had to laugh when I read about 'career advancement' and 'learning opportunities'. Every company I've ever worked with has tuition reimbursement, if you don't use it, that's your fault. The only obligation the company has regarding career advancement is to let everyone know that one job has just opened. If someone is too lazy to not apply for it, or they don't have the skills to get it because they didn't use the tuition reimbursement program, it's their fault. Not the company.
What they really want is all-expense paid trips to some conference somewhere so they can attend a 4-hour class and eat on the company dime. Been there, the only real value in those is networking so I can find another job.
What these naive wannabe-developers don't get is you learn more useful and long-term concepts from the crap jobs than the 'interesting' jobs. Like how to deal with office politics and how to suffer through work you don't like because your boss tells you too. Those are skills that last a lifetime instead of some shiny new tool-toy that will be replaced in a year when someone new gets hired and pushes the only tool they know how to use on everyone else because they are too stupid to learn anything new. Even though it's old and works just fine to those already using it.
As long as they also ban all UFO conspiracy theories, flat earth theories, and Kardashian and other celebrity theories, I'm OK with this. But I'll bet the idiots that love to spread these around, including magazines like Us and People, won't put up with it.
I'm just wondering who gets to decide if it's a conspiracy theory or not.
Michigan agrees to accept Beanie Babies as tax payments. Colorado agrees to accept Magic Trading Cards. And in a surprise move, California will accept any baseball card printed prior to 1965.
I am in a constant state of having to learn something new in my current job. Chef, docker, new versions of Java, Angular... constant change. Or new tools are constantly added by people who 'we used this over at my last company and it solved all of our problems. Even our farts smelled like licorice'. Even our own staff are constantly creating new 'standards' because some tool we use doesn't make their farts smell like licorice and they are too lazy or not creative enough to figure out how to do it. So they force everyone else to have to learn something new even if the old tool actually could do what they needed. The 'bright and shiny toy' affects far too many lazy and uncreative people in senior tech positions.
I've worked for over 13 companies in my career that spans 40 years. Every time I left, I left for a reason and found a company that didn't have that limit. In doing so, I learned new languages, new techniques, and new skills. I started out as a desk clerk but applied for a computer operator job when it opened. From there, I've held programming jobs in assembler, COBOL, C++, C# and now work mostly in Java and Javascript. My ability to learn new languages far surpasses most of my peers because now, it's just syntax. So learning Ruby for Chef was no big deal. My company still has COBOL, C++, and C# applications that I can contribute to when needed. My past jobs have given me opportunities to be a DBA and learn Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and SQL Server. I've also worked as Sun and HP sysadmin. There was even some telephony and network administration tossed in, as well as moving a data center.
My boss comes to me when there are difficult tasks that others can't resolve. With my full-stack knowledge, I can work on problems that might otherwise require a team of 3-4 people. My solutions look at all aspects of a system instead of just the one I know. I'm not afraid to pick up legacy code in any language and work through issues or convert it if needed.
And none of this required me to spend a dollar for college. Companies have this wonderful thing called 'tuition reimbursement'.
So, if you are a smart, capable person, NEVER be afraid to change jobs, always be willing to learn something new, and take advantage of every educational opportunities your employer provides.
The staff member that can wear more than one hat is the one kept during layoffs.
Thank you, Hillary, for setting such a low standard and then getting away with it. It would be very hypocritical for Democrats to try to do anything about it now since they were so against doing anything about it when Hillary did it.
... making American workers more mediocre than ever before.
It used to be that paper delivery, McDonalds, stock boys, warehouse laborers, and such were jobs kids got to earn money for cars, dates, and alcohol. They worked awhile at jobs that were easy to do, paid low wages, and required little skill because they didn't have any experience. And they didn't need much because they either lived at home or lived with three of their friends. As they gained experience, they moved on and a new group of kids took those jobs.
I was a paperboy for a while, moved on to bicycle repair, some entry-level office clerical work, and eventually computer programming. All without any college, except for a few courses paid for by my employer. My wife was a waitress until moving on to work a low paying job at a newspaper, teaching herself accounting, and now is an office manager. All with very little college and no degree.
But now, adults have taken over the entry-level jobs and have no desire to ever improve their lives and whine because they don't get more money for a job anyone can do with little training. So companies are either automating them or finding ways to improve wages while cutting costs (i.e. reducing bonus, vacation, number of workers, etc.)
And those that cry for a 'living wage' end up putting even more people on the unemployment line or setting the expectation that the government will give them a raise, they don't have to work harder or learn something.
Their battle cry should be 'Making America Mediocre Again'.... or MAMA.
I have only taken two computer classes in my 40-year career -- Fortran and Cobol. The first was for the credit in case I ever got a degree, I had already taught myself Fortran because I had already taught myself BASIC for a project in my calculus class (I was a math major) and realized I could teach myself far faster than the school can. I took COBOL because I was a computer operator and they wrote programs in COBOL, and I didn't want to stay a computer operator. Every other programming language I've learned since then has been on my own. Except for C++, I took an online course for that.
It doesn't take a CS major to be a programmer. It does take someone who can understand logic and I believe has spatial awareness, the ability to 'see' how chunks of code and external processes fit together and be able to manipulate them in their head. The best programmers I've ever met were musicians, and I think it's because the best musicians have a high degree of spatial awareness so they can 'fit' different parts of a piece together in their head.
There are different types of programmers. There are those that need a spec to get anything done because they aren't able to figure it out on their own. Some CS work will help with that, but I think at some level you can't teach it. It's like teaching me to play the piano.. I can learn where the notes are but I'll never be a concert pianist because I just don't have the dexterity and coordination. That's why I play the saxophone instead of the piano. Then there are the natural programmers that just get it, CS will help them get a job because it checks off a box in HR, but for the most part, they are very capable of learning themselves.
While I believe all aspects of CS can be learned on one's own, they can also be taught faster. Testing techniques, architectural designs, data designs, and a whole host of things can be learned by googling. But, if one doesn't know something exists, one may not be able to find it. A CS degree, at a minimum, should provide exposure to a wide range of knowledge that can be extended as one needs it and technology changes. Let's face it, while we may have come a long way since I wrote assembler, deep down inside, it's still all ones and zeroes, registers and memory.
Idiots abound, both untrained and trained. If companies were more focused on hiring smart people, paying them well, and then hiring the next level down and letting the smart people mentor them and give them the tedious tasks, we all get a lot more done.
Regardless of what degrees they have. Degrees don't mean squat, one has to actually talk to someone to figure out if they know anything.
This isn't mean to disparage learning things, I'm only saying the HR department needs to look past the degree to the person before making decisions. I've known very smart people with and without degrees, and the same goes for idiots.
I'd rather have smart non-degreed workmate than an idiot with a degree. Ok.. I'd rather have a genius with a degree, so the actual order is: 1. A genius with a degree. 2. A genius without a degree 3. The rest of the idiots for tedious tasks, a degree is irrelevant.
"The message is very clear, especially to women at the company," Jessica Price tells the Verge. "If Reddit wants you fired, we'll fire you. The quality of your work doesn't matter."
The reality has ALWAYS been the quality of your work doesn't matter if you embarrass the company in a public forum or are a total asshat that doesn't work well with others.
I'm reminded of the quote (I don't know where it came from), don't ask a question unless you want to hear the answer. Or, in this case, don't post something unless you can tolerate the responses.
Nothing to see here, just another snowflake that can't handle differing opinions and wants to play the victim card to justify their original position and blame others for their inability to play well with others.
I have 12 items in my inbox, all of them are items I need to address at some point. Every email has been read.
All prior emails have either been deleted or moved to other folders. Not all are read, but all have been taken care of.
I don't need Google telling me what to do with my emails or suggesting canned replies. The spam filter is helpful, but I could survive without that too because I use another email address I rarely monitor to sign up for anything on the internet.
Taking appropriate precautions about where one uses their email and maintaining a little self-discipline goes a long way.
It's like a self-driving car. I don't need a self-driving car. But, I do appreciate some of the features they are developing and as long as I can choose which ones I want to use and when I'm OK with that.
I think having your software or car do too much for you contributes to the dumbing down of society. Just like depending on GPS impacts one's ability to navigate without it.
New rule on my interview list, anyone that shows any serious interest in one-name email address results in the interview being terminated at that point with a "thank you, but you just won't work out".
And this is why it's important for companies, from day one, to set a sane standard for server names, email addresses, and any other naming convention so they are practical and not 'cute'. And to hire lead people that have actually worked for a living instead of fresh out of a University so they know more things than Universities teach.
And no, in my 40-year career, I have never named a server after a Star Wars character.
Or is it only those conspiracies that the viewpoints at YouTube disagree with.
For instance, will it provide the same information for videos about climate change, since some claim those are conspiracies?? One could argue that the views for climate change are pushing an extreme viewpoint.
Or how about a conspiracy that YouTube is biased?? Will that show up??
Should be interesting to see what YouTube considers conspiracies that people need to be informed about and those that they should just accept.
It's not about you. It's not about inclusion. It's just a stupid picture and not important.
Stop categorizing each other and creating divisive conversations all because you expect life to be fair. Stop getting upset because your color/ethnic background isn't getting the spotlight. Your pride is causing all of us to fall.
Move on with your lives and concentrate on doing something important.
Not like me wasting my time commenting on this post.
Geeks that have experience with lots of different things and learn how to use them instead of those that only know how to use a hammer because they once used a screwdriver and got hurt.
I've used Windows since Windows first came out. Used Apple a few times, decided I like choices and only use it if I have to and felt only a moron would make an OS that used the trash bin to eject a floppy disk. I've loaded Unix on PCs that used 286 chipsets to run Informix 1.0. I've loaded Linux using floppy disks. I installed Unix on computers that required their own personal cooling systems and had petabyte databases. Hell, I bought a TRS-80 and hacked the backgammon game because it wasn't good enough. The first program I ever wrote was for extra credit in calculus, the second was to hack passwords because it wouldn't run fast enough. Today, I write dynamic web pages that connect to large backend databases and can build any of the tier servers, install the databases, write all the code, and even configure the F5s. I've worked as a computer operator, programmer, sysadmin, DBA, webmaster, configured phone systems, and even a few years as a manager before I realized I'm too good at tech to waste my time being a manager. I'm an expert in nothing but can use Google to do just about anything related to IT. Hell.. I've written in programming languages that were so old and obscure there wasn't a manual for them anymore. And there was no Google at the time to look up the answers.
I didn't even go to college to learn any of this, I discovered I could buy the textbooks and teach myself a lot faster. Then I discovered Border's books and O'Reilly. Now we have the Internet.
Don't tell me I shouldn't use Windows simply because you haven't figured it out yet.
BTW -- the OP is an idiot. My Windows computer doesn't do any of that, I don't know what the hell he did but it was probably all his fault.
If I see a concert is sold out, I don't go. I also don't stand in line for movies or restaurants, because there are plenty of other options. And often, those options are still satisfying, cost less, and aren't as crowded or noisy. Movies eventually come out on DVD anyway. It's the same movie six months from now as it is in the theater. I'll admit the sound is better in the theater or concert, but I can still enjoy it. I don't have the hedonistic desire to have the 'best' experience, just to enjoy life to it's fullest. And that includes not standing in line or paying too much.
If more people stopped giving in to their 'gotta have it' hedonistic personality, the scalping market would dry up. It must be nice to have so much disposable income that one can spend hundreds of dollars on a concert, or take days off of work and ignore all obligations to wait in line to be first.
Like so many others, I've worked in IT my entire adult life (I'm 57) and have only attended two university classes, and those were paid for by my employer at the time. I've attended many vendor classes, also paid for by my employer.
As others have noted, I have run into many great IT professionals with and without degrees, and many not so great with and without degrees. I remember an MIT PhD (supposedly, I didn't verify) that couldn't program her way out of a paper bag and refused to learn new things. I also remember a guitar player who was one of best developers I ever knew. Plenty of anecdotal evidence for me to feel that if someone has the spatial and logical talent to write code naturally, a degree isn't necessary. And if they don't, no degree in the world can help.
If someone wants to get a degree, and can do so in a financially prudent way, go for it. But very little in the IT field requires a computer degree for someone who is smart and willing to learn on their own. With the tremendous amount of free, or nearly free, courses on the Internet, it's a shame so many companies still require degrees.
The good news is I've started to see a few companies return to the days of 'junior' programmers who don't have to have a degree, just some basic programming skills.
Slashdot Mirror
1. Get a Google Voice phone number (or some other IP number)
2. Use it on all web sites, credit applications, loyalty cards, etc
3. Never answer it
4. If a number doesn't leave a voice mail, block it
5. Check the voice mail, if it's a scammer, block it
6. If it's a real call, let them know your real number
7. Now, setup a 'fake' email
8. Use it on all web sites, credit applications, loyalty cards, etc.
9. Check it from time to time in case email you want gets in there so you can update that one email
10. Move the rest to trash and setup trash to delete all email older than 30 days.
And .. probably the most important
1. Never answer a call on your real phone unless it's in your contacts. If it doesn't go to voice mail, it wasn't important anyway.
2. Stop downloading every stupid game, be more selective. This also virtually eliminates downloading a virus
3. Use incognito mode when shopping or searching
4. Be sure you don't automatically download pictures in your email client.
5. Only put on social media profiles the bare minimum information. And never make any of it public.
There .. solved that for you. Without the need for any government regulation. It's what I use and it works.
Gotta agree with that one, sometimes one just has to look at a car crash to see how bad it is.
A very bad example of 'weaponizing' the dislike button. YouTube rewind truly sucked the big one. Some of those that participated said as much, although they were careful in their choice of words so they wouldn't bite the hand that feeds them.
And .. I don't care. I have never let the number of dislikes dissuade me from watching something. And since I rarely watch anything in 'trending', I would say the number of likes or views a video gets is also not relevant.
The only ego being bruised is that of the creator.
I already have one of these (look up Elephant Trunk on Home Depot). It won't handle really big packages, but most packages will fit. It's normally unlocked, but when someone puts a package in it and closes it, it locks. It's bolted to the porch. It's a bit flimsy, a crowbar could probably open it. But it should deter the snatch-and-grab thieves.
Problem is, no one will use it. I've had it for a month, and no delivery person has put a package in it. I've put the security code in Amazon, UPS, USPS, and FedEx delivery instructions so everyone has access to it. But none of those services provide 'parcel locker' as an option.
Last week, I taped a 'Put packages in this and close the lid' label on it. But of course, I haven't gotten any packages big enough to be delivered to the house yet.
It's sitting in a box on my desk next to my Google mini. It was a gift, I prefer Google.
So the sales numbers are just that, sales numbers. Doesn't mean how many are being used, except as an upper limit.
Why don't I use it?? Because I don't feel like managing two different systems Google Home does everything I need, I prefer Google Home and I'd rather spend $35 on another Google mini if I need one than bother maintaining two different systems.
Or else all of the whinings about millennials living paycheck to paycheck is only because they have misplaced financial priorities. And don['t know how to do things for themselves so they have plenty of time to spend doing ... nothing of value.
I admit it, I play video games. Free ones. When I have the time from doing other things.
Ben and Jerry's used capitalism to sell mediocre ice cream to sheep willing to pay a higher price to feel good. Starbucks and Apple do the same thing. Apple and Microsoft used capitalism to take pre-existing ideas, repackage them, and sell the result. Apple wrapped them in a pretty package and sold them for more. Microsoft wrapped them in a brown-paper wrapper and sold lots. That is the nature of capitalism, find a consumer for your product. Not everyone wants to wait in line at Starbucks for mediocre, overpriced coffee.
Including banks in the 'too big to fail' comparison of capitalism is wrong. Banks were too big to fail because of the amount of capital they had, not because of their impact on capitalism itself. If Google or Facebook or Twitter failed tomorrow, we would all still move on. Because no one really needs Facebook or Twitter, and many of Google services exist in other forms or software such as Android is freely available.
It was a lie that GM and Chrysler were too big to fail, another company would have purchased them, renegotiated all of the union contracts, and not cost the American taxpayer one dime. The lie was told so politicians could benefit.
The breakup of Ma Bell was good because they owned technology no one else had. Google could be broken up into pieces, ads, tech, etc. But it isn't a matter of no one else having the tech, it's a matter of Google doing it 'better' and attracting more customers. Those subsidiaries would still have a perceived advantage, I'd still buy Android phones because IOS is a POS, in my opinion.
And no, I don't have a Google phone. Because they don't have a monopoly.
What a sham ... signers of the Paris treaty didn't follow up with their promises. What makes one think this one will be any different.
Meanwhile, China and India continue to blast out all the CO2 they want under the excuse they need to grow their economy. While the US is chastised even though it is reducing CO2 emissions.
The best and brightest who have already proven themselves get those things. The rest of you get the crap jobs that the rest of us used to do. Somebody has to do them, and it's usually the new guy.
I had to laugh when I read about 'career advancement' and 'learning opportunities'. Every company I've ever worked with has tuition reimbursement, if you don't use it, that's your fault. The only obligation the company has regarding career advancement is to let everyone know that one job has just opened. If someone is too lazy to not apply for it, or they don't have the skills to get it because they didn't use the tuition reimbursement program, it's their fault. Not the company.
What they really want is all-expense paid trips to some conference somewhere so they can attend a 4-hour class and eat on the company dime. Been there, the only real value in those is networking so I can find another job.
What these naive wannabe-developers don't get is you learn more useful and long-term concepts from the crap jobs than the 'interesting' jobs. Like how to deal with office politics and how to suffer through work you don't like because your boss tells you too. Those are skills that last a lifetime instead of some shiny new tool-toy that will be replaced in a year when someone new gets hired and pushes the only tool they know how to use on everyone else because they are too stupid to learn anything new. Even though it's old and works just fine to those already using it.
As long as they also ban all UFO conspiracy theories, flat earth theories, and Kardashian and other celebrity theories, I'm OK with this. But I'll bet the idiots that love to spread these around, including magazines like Us and People, won't put up with it.
I'm just wondering who gets to decide if it's a conspiracy theory or not.
Michigan agrees to accept Beanie Babies as tax payments. Colorado agrees to accept Magic Trading Cards. And in a surprise move, California will accept any baseball card printed prior to 1965.
... that you learn something new.
I am in a constant state of having to learn something new in my current job. Chef, docker, new versions of Java, Angular ... constant change. Or new tools are constantly added by people who 'we used this over at my last company and it solved all of our problems. Even our farts smelled like licorice'. Even our own staff are constantly creating new 'standards' because some tool we use doesn't make their farts smell like licorice and they are too lazy or not creative enough to figure out how to do it. So they force everyone else to have to learn something new even if the old tool actually could do what they needed. The 'bright and shiny toy' affects far too many lazy and uncreative people in senior tech positions.
I've worked for over 13 companies in my career that spans 40 years. Every time I left, I left for a reason and found a company that didn't have that limit. In doing so, I learned new languages, new techniques, and new skills. I started out as a desk clerk but applied for a computer operator job when it opened. From there, I've held programming jobs in assembler, COBOL, C++, C# and now work mostly in Java and Javascript. My ability to learn new languages far surpasses most of my peers because now, it's just syntax. So learning Ruby for Chef was no big deal. My company still has COBOL, C++, and C# applications that I can contribute to when needed. My past jobs have given me opportunities to be a DBA and learn Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and SQL Server. I've also worked as Sun and HP sysadmin. There was even some telephony and network administration tossed in, as well as moving a data center.
My boss comes to me when there are difficult tasks that others can't resolve. With my full-stack knowledge, I can work on problems that might otherwise require a team of 3-4 people. My solutions look at all aspects of a system instead of just the one I know. I'm not afraid to pick up legacy code in any language and work through issues or convert it if needed.
And none of this required me to spend a dollar for college. Companies have this wonderful thing called 'tuition reimbursement'.
So, if you are a smart, capable person, NEVER be afraid to change jobs, always be willing to learn something new, and take advantage of every educational opportunities your employer provides.
The staff member that can wear more than one hat is the one kept during layoffs.
... when pyramid schemes reach their saturation point.
Congratulations to all that made money.
To those that lost ... suckers! Go try Amway, at least they sell something material instead of pipe dreams.
Thank you, Hillary, for setting such a low standard and then getting away with it. It would be very hypocritical for Democrats to try to do anything about it now since they were so against doing anything about it when Hillary did it.
... making American workers more mediocre than ever before.
It used to be that paper delivery, McDonalds, stock boys, warehouse laborers, and such were jobs kids got to earn money for cars, dates, and alcohol. They worked awhile at jobs that were easy to do, paid low wages, and required little skill because they didn't have any experience. And they didn't need much because they either lived at home or lived with three of their friends. As they gained experience, they moved on and a new group of kids took those jobs.
I was a paperboy for a while, moved on to bicycle repair, some entry-level office clerical work, and eventually computer programming. All without any college, except for a few courses paid for by my employer. My wife was a waitress until moving on to work a low paying job at a newspaper, teaching herself accounting, and now is an office manager. All with very little college and no degree.
But now, adults have taken over the entry-level jobs and have no desire to ever improve their lives and whine because they don't get more money for a job anyone can do with little training. So companies are either automating them or finding ways to improve wages while cutting costs (i.e. reducing bonus, vacation, number of workers, etc.)
And those that cry for a 'living wage' end up putting even more people on the unemployment line or setting the expectation that the government will give them a raise, they don't have to work harder or learn something.
Their battle cry should be 'Making America Mediocre Again' .... or MAMA.
I have only taken two computer classes in my 40-year career -- Fortran and Cobol. The first was for the credit in case I ever got a degree, I had already taught myself Fortran because I had already taught myself BASIC for a project in my calculus class (I was a math major) and realized I could teach myself far faster than the school can. I took COBOL because I was a computer operator and they wrote programs in COBOL, and I didn't want to stay a computer operator. Every other programming language I've learned since then has been on my own. Except for C++, I took an online course for that.
It doesn't take a CS major to be a programmer. It does take someone who can understand logic and I believe has spatial awareness, the ability to 'see' how chunks of code and external processes fit together and be able to manipulate them in their head. The best programmers I've ever met were musicians, and I think it's because the best musicians have a high degree of spatial awareness so they can 'fit' different parts of a piece together in their head.
There are different types of programmers. There are those that need a spec to get anything done because they aren't able to figure it out on their own. Some CS work will help with that, but I think at some level you can't teach it. It's like teaching me to play the piano .. I can learn where the notes are but I'll never be a concert pianist because I just don't have the dexterity and coordination. That's why I play the saxophone instead of the piano. Then there are the natural programmers that just get it, CS will help them get a job because it checks off a box in HR, but for the most part, they are very capable of learning themselves.
While I believe all aspects of CS can be learned on one's own, they can also be taught faster. Testing techniques, architectural designs, data designs, and a whole host of things can be learned by googling. But, if one doesn't know something exists, one may not be able to find it. A CS degree, at a minimum, should provide exposure to a wide range of knowledge that can be extended as one needs it and technology changes. Let's face it, while we may have come a long way since I wrote assembler, deep down inside, it's still all ones and zeroes, registers and memory.
Idiots abound, both untrained and trained. If companies were more focused on hiring smart people, paying them well, and then hiring the next level down and letting the smart people mentor them and give them the tedious tasks, we all get a lot more done.
Regardless of what degrees they have. Degrees don't mean squat, one has to actually talk to someone to figure out if they know anything.
This isn't mean to disparage learning things, I'm only saying the HR department needs to look past the degree to the person before making decisions. I've known very smart people with and without degrees, and the same goes for idiots.
I'd rather have smart non-degreed workmate than an idiot with a degree. Ok .. I'd rather have a genius with a degree, so the actual order is:
1. A genius with a degree.
2. A genius without a degree
3. The rest of the idiots for tedious tasks, a degree is irrelevant.
"The message is very clear, especially to women at the company," Jessica Price tells the Verge. "If Reddit wants you fired, we'll fire you. The quality of your work doesn't matter."
The reality has ALWAYS been the quality of your work doesn't matter if you embarrass the company in a public forum or are a total asshat that doesn't work well with others.
I'm reminded of the quote (I don't know where it came from), don't ask a question unless you want to hear the answer. Or, in this case, don't post something unless you can tolerate the responses.
Nothing to see here, just another snowflake that can't handle differing opinions and wants to play the victim card to justify their original position and blame others for their inability to play well with others.
I have 12 items in my inbox, all of them are items I need to address at some point. Every email has been read.
All prior emails have either been deleted or moved to other folders. Not all are read, but all have been taken care of.
I don't need Google telling me what to do with my emails or suggesting canned replies. The spam filter is helpful, but I could survive without that too because I use another email address I rarely monitor to sign up for anything on the internet.
Taking appropriate precautions about where one uses their email and maintaining a little self-discipline goes a long way.
It's like a self-driving car. I don't need a self-driving car. But, I do appreciate some of the features they are developing and as long as I can choose which ones I want to use and when I'm OK with that.
I think having your software or car do too much for you contributes to the dumbing down of society. Just like depending on GPS impacts one's ability to navigate without it.
... ... when you hire immature people.
New rule on my interview list, anyone that shows any serious interest in one-name email address results in the interview being terminated at that point with a "thank you, but you just won't work out".
And this is why it's important for companies, from day one, to set a sane standard for server names, email addresses, and any other naming convention so they are practical and not 'cute'. And to hire lead people that have actually worked for a living instead of fresh out of a University so they know more things than Universities teach.
And no, in my 40-year career, I have never named a server after a Star Wars character.
Or is it only those conspiracies that the viewpoints at YouTube disagree with.
For instance, will it provide the same information for videos about climate change, since some claim those are conspiracies?? One could argue that the views for climate change are pushing an extreme viewpoint.
Or how about a conspiracy that YouTube is biased?? Will that show up??
Should be interesting to see what YouTube considers conspiracies that people need to be informed about and those that they should just accept.
It's not about you. It's not about inclusion. It's just a stupid picture and not important.
Stop categorizing each other and creating divisive conversations all because you expect life to be fair. Stop getting upset because your color/ethnic background isn't getting the spotlight. Your pride is causing all of us to fall.
Move on with your lives and concentrate on doing something important.
Not like me wasting my time commenting on this post.
Geeks that have experience with lots of different things and learn how to use them instead of those that only know how to use a hammer because they once used a screwdriver and got hurt.
I've used Windows since Windows first came out. Used Apple a few times, decided I like choices and only use it if I have to and felt only a moron would make an OS that used the trash bin to eject a floppy disk. I've loaded Unix on PCs that used 286 chipsets to run Informix 1.0. I've loaded Linux using floppy disks. I installed Unix on computers that required their own personal cooling systems and had petabyte databases. Hell, I bought a TRS-80 and hacked the backgammon game because it wasn't good enough. The first program I ever wrote was for extra credit in calculus, the second was to hack passwords because it wouldn't run fast enough. Today, I write dynamic web pages that connect to large backend databases and can build any of the tier servers, install the databases, write all the code, and even configure the F5s. I've worked as a computer operator, programmer, sysadmin, DBA, webmaster, configured phone systems, and even a few years as a manager before I realized I'm too good at tech to waste my time being a manager. I'm an expert in nothing but can use Google to do just about anything related to IT. Hell .. I've written in programming languages that were so old and obscure there wasn't a manual for them anymore. And there was no Google at the time to look up the answers.
I didn't even go to college to learn any of this, I discovered I could buy the textbooks and teach myself a lot faster. Then I discovered Border's books and O'Reilly. Now we have the Internet.
Don't tell me I shouldn't use Windows simply because you haven't figured it out yet.
BTW -- the OP is an idiot. My Windows computer doesn't do any of that, I don't know what the hell he did but it was probably all his fault.
I remember the first time I watched Smokey and the Bandit at the movies. When I got in my car, I wanted to speed all over the place.
But I didn't ... because I'm not stupid and know I could crash, kill someone or me, or at least get a ticket.
I'm sure violent video games can make violent people more likely to be violent.
That doesn't mean the other 99% (made up statistic) of society should be kept from playing them.
If I see a concert is sold out, I don't go. I also don't stand in line for movies or restaurants, because there are plenty of other options. And often, those options are still satisfying, cost less, and aren't as crowded or noisy. Movies eventually come out on DVD anyway. It's the same movie six months from now as it is in the theater. I'll admit the sound is better in the theater or concert, but I can still enjoy it. I don't have the hedonistic desire to have the 'best' experience, just to enjoy life to it's fullest. And that includes not standing in line or paying too much.
If more people stopped giving in to their 'gotta have it' hedonistic personality, the scalping market would dry up. It must be nice to have so much disposable income that one can spend hundreds of dollars on a concert, or take days off of work and ignore all obligations to wait in line to be first.
Like so many others, I've worked in IT my entire adult life (I'm 57) and have only attended two university classes, and those were paid for by my employer at the time. I've attended many vendor classes, also paid for by my employer.
As others have noted, I have run into many great IT professionals with and without degrees, and many not so great with and without degrees. I remember an MIT PhD (supposedly, I didn't verify) that couldn't program her way out of a paper bag and refused to learn new things. I also remember a guitar player who was one of best developers I ever knew. Plenty of anecdotal evidence for me to feel that if someone has the spatial and logical talent to write code naturally, a degree isn't necessary. And if they don't, no degree in the world can help.
If someone wants to get a degree, and can do so in a financially prudent way, go for it. But very little in the IT field requires a computer degree for someone who is smart and willing to learn on their own. With the tremendous amount of free, or nearly free, courses on the Internet, it's a shame so many companies still require degrees.
The good news is I've started to see a few companies return to the days of 'junior' programmers who don't have to have a degree, just some basic programming skills.