The global economy is telling you that programming is becoming a low level skill, not because it is easy (have you ever tried doing janitorial work? It is horribly heavy) but because the demand for those skills is shrinking and the offer of those skills has skyrocketed.
Low demand, high offer, prices go down. Expensive offerers go bust.
And is only going to get worse (China is set to join the fest, and after them places like the Philippines and Vienam, with loads of bright people, will follow).
You have two options: keep your head buried in the sand and feeling bad about managers and other people that have not been touched (yet) by these trends, or prepare yourself to compete in this kinf of environment.
I will not pretend I have the answers, but certainly I am not a fan of the ostrich solution, my eyes are too sensitive and I dont want sand on them.
... and for in spite of your blabering, it is still telling you that these guys (the managers, the architects) are more valuable than technicians or even Engineers. Choose whatever reasons you like, markets are not necessarily fair but they set the prices on our skills, no matter how much we may dislike it.
Is your wife a hardware technician or IT support person?
If yes she is underquialified and needs training.
If not, what the hell is she doing touching hardware back in the office?
Perhaps the NHS needs to review how they support IT infrastructure so people can concentrate on their work instead of wasting time doing things for which they are not qualified.
... or stupid exageration do not make your arguments stronger.
In no way it takes six months to see a doctor for a roe throat. If it is pretty bad most probably the GP will see you the same day or one can attend the walk-in centres that will take care of that asap.
You guys in the US need to get out of your country a bit more, just so you realize the gross misconceptions you have about other countries.
Third world countries do have unions. If anything they are a worse PITA for companies because they have far too much political power.
Third world countries normally have minimum-wage laws. I have lived in 3 different continents and visited as many as 20 countries while working, so I think I know about this.
Worker compensation is variable (if you mean to compensate for dismisal). In some countries when you are fired you are entitled to compensation. Tell me it is like that in the good ole US of A...
Regarding corruption your point is mooth. Any company with HQ in the US (and soon also in the EU) is legaly liable if they bribe people in foreign countries. Companies go to extreme lenghts to emphasize this, we IT sods have to go to training as well to make sure we get the point. You may be legally liable if a company working for you gets involved on the same practices, but here I have to conced that you have half a point since corruption is much endemic, unlike the US where we have ENRON or Europe where hte EU comission can't justify their spendings for 8 years in a row....
The US benefitted greatly from globalization, not they are suffering a mild backslash. Well, shape up and live with it. This is how things are going to go if we want healthy economic in our countries.
1. Project Managers (completely and utterly useless)
Whou should manage complex projects then? Developers who or admin that normally do not understand the financial implications, who have no idea about how to coordinate the efforts of everybody and that very often lack the necessary social skils to coordinate complex teams?
2. Security Admin (most seem obsessed with think that make the least difference for true security - ie patching iPlanet so that it doesn't do HTTP TRACE) Their job usually also involves the slimy, salacious task of monitoring people's email and looking through http server logs for who's downloading porn)
And when your company gets smacked down with a suit due to somebody getting their porn in the office, then you will remember why these tasks need to be performed. Ditto for email.
2. (tied with security) Network Admins, won't help troubleshoot; nothing is wrong with the network; I can ping that machine from this one so its not the network; no you can't have any performance data about the net/router/switches its "confidential"; no you can't have the snmp password for the machines that you end up having to support because all the admins are useless, its "confidential"; no you can't use the sniffer, but its not the network so you don't need the sniffer anyway;
I am sure you presented some compeling evidence that the nwtoer is the problem. Some timed ftp to show transmission speed.
They are right: you don't need sniffers, you have the tools to your disposal to pinpoint if you are having a network problem or not.
3. DBAs (The crop I have encountered - amazingly useless. The common view seems to be that the databases would run better if the developers would not be adding tables/procedures/data/queries to them)
Which is true. Developers very often do not understand relational theory, thus if a DBA spots crasss shoddy design it should be pointed out to the developper.
4. PC Admins (These are usually MS idiots who can't get it through their heads that developer toolset are completely outside of the std MS pile of crap that they dump onto every machine by default)
And your point is? IF you are the PC admin all the software on the PC is your responsibility, not only MS produced one.
5. Help(prevention)Desk.
And how do you propose to handle requests Batman?
6. UNIX Admins You have to follow the change control process, but we can do anything we want to and then cover it up because no one else has the authority to review the machines/files except us. (esp the sub department that puts together the base build "rules" and test products)
The rules are there for people that not necessarily know what they are doing. SAs can fix things, and as long as they don't compromise security and keep machines running, should be left to administer systems as they see fit.
Maybe the places where you have worked they are incompetent.
I have had the same 20 or 30 pages of paper sitting on my desk for the last six months (relating to the most important ongoing projects, these are the most referenced things).
All the rest of information is scattered in electronic format in email and internal applications that follo up everything from audits, project completions, requests, HR information, expenses, etc.
I guess it is a matter of how competent the IT people in your workplace are.
... is that these individuals (SCO "managers" and their "lawyers") make a living out of this.
You and I have to meet deadlines, pass appraisals, fear that our jobs are shipped to cheaper countries (and rightly so, but that is another matter), suffer the dialy commute just to make a living that will not makes us rich and that does not gurantee an easy retirement.
The thought that somebody (eather this person or his lawyers) has the aplomb to sit down, write such a piece of tosh and then publish it is just mindblowing.
These individuals have no regard for decency.
How do they get home, kiss hello to their loved ones: "honey, I am home! Yeah, I had a hard day, I had to come up with a document full of lies and misrepresentations in order to try to pump up our share price. What is for dinner?"
For the life of mine, I just don;t understand how they can live with themselves. No, I know. Only people without morals can achieve true wealth. Look at Saddam Hussein Palaces.
Then what will you do with all the reputable institutions that teach it, The National Politechnic Institute in Mexico, a fully official, goverment funded, high education college, is one of them.
Heck, Ernesto Zedillo, former president of the country, studied there (not homeopathic medicine though), so there are serious acadmic institutions that beg to disagree with your Cuckoometer on this one.
Slashdot Mirror
... they are two different skills.
You can be a great reporter or writer and still have dismall spelling (or be lazy or clueless enough not to use a spell checker).
Even Gabrile Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize literature winner and respected journalist admits he is ashamed of his spelling.
... is dreadfuly difficult and taxing.
But there are millions willing to do it for peanuts.
Markets speak and dictate, ignore them at your peril.
... as in this post, those PMs of yours are worth their price in gold.
Were is that mythical company that produces perfect software beating deadlines and that requires no support?
We await eagelry yout bat-answer.
The global economy is telling you that programming is becoming a low level skill, not because it is easy (have you ever tried doing janitorial work? It is horribly heavy) but because the demand for those skills is shrinking and the offer of those skills has skyrocketed.
Low demand, high offer, prices go down. Expensive offerers go bust.
And is only going to get worse (China is set to join the fest, and after them places like the Philippines and Vienam, with loads of bright people, will follow).
You have two options: keep your head buried in the sand and feeling bad about managers and other people that have not been touched (yet) by these trends, or prepare yourself to compete in this kinf of environment.
I will not pretend I have the answers, but certainly I am not a fan of the ostrich solution, my eyes are too sensitive and I dont want sand on them.
... and for in spite of your blabering, it is still telling you that these guys (the managers, the architects) are more valuable than technicians or even Engineers. Choose whatever reasons you like, markets are not necessarily fair but they set the prices on our skills, no matter how much we may dislike it.
Keep dreaming and blabering and ignoring reality.
... no wonder the trains do not work.
Do you and your bosses know that the monstruosity called WIndows Nt is no longer supported by MS?
I have been treated for eyes probelms with state of the art computing equipment handled by older doctors and nurses.
Your sterotyping is grotesque and revelas only your very particular anecdotal experience.
Is your wife a hardware technician or IT support person?
If yes she is underquialified and needs training.
If not, what the hell is she doing touching hardware back in the office?
Perhaps the NHS needs to review how they support IT infrastructure so people can concentrate on their work instead of wasting time doing things for which they are not qualified.
... that it hurts to read it.
May it just be that many organizations have realized that they are at the mercy of one supplier? A supplier that has broken the law?
Is that an inteligent position to be in?
Nope, but of course if people are wisening up is because they want more of the same punishment, but are willing to pay lees for the pleasure.
Give some credit to people, many are not brilliant, but masochism has its limits.
... or stupid exageration do not make your arguments stronger.
In no way it takes six months to see a doctor for a roe throat. If it is pretty bad most probably the GP will see you the same day or one can attend the walk-in centres that will take care of that asap.
After struggling at work with these issues the last thing I want at home is to do more of the same.
A solution out of the box, that you can troubleshoot if needed, is the sensible way forward, even for time starved professionals like yours truly.
You guys in the US need to get out of your country a bit more, just so you realize the gross misconceptions you have about other countries.
Third world countries do have unions. If anything they are a worse PITA for companies because they have far too much political power.
Third world countries normally have minimum-wage laws. I have lived in 3 different continents and visited as many as 20 countries while working, so I think I know about this.
Worker compensation is variable (if you mean to compensate for dismisal). In some countries when you are fired you are entitled to compensation. Tell me it is like that in the good ole US of A...
Regarding corruption your point is mooth. Any company with HQ in the US (and soon also in the EU) is legaly liable if they bribe people in foreign countries. Companies go to extreme lenghts to emphasize this, we IT sods have to go to training as well to make sure we get the point. You may be legally liable if a company working for you gets involved on the same practices, but here I have to conced that you have half a point since corruption is much endemic, unlike the US where we have ENRON or Europe where hte EU comission can't justify their spendings for 8 years in a row....
The US benefitted greatly from globalization, not they are suffering a mild backslash. Well, shape up and live with it. This is how things are going to go if we want healthy economic in our countries.
1. Project Managers (completely and utterly useless)
Whou should manage complex projects then? Developers who or admin that normally do not understand the financial implications, who have no idea about how to coordinate the efforts of everybody and that very often lack the necessary social skils to coordinate complex teams?
2. Security Admin (most seem obsessed with think that make the least difference for true security - ie patching iPlanet so that it doesn't do HTTP TRACE) Their job usually also involves the slimy, salacious task of monitoring people's email and looking through http server logs for who's downloading porn)
And when your company gets smacked down with a suit due to somebody getting their porn in the office, then you will remember why these tasks need to be performed. Ditto for email.
2. (tied with security) Network Admins, won't help troubleshoot; nothing is wrong with the network; I can ping that machine from this one so its not the network; no you can't have any performance data about the net/router/switches its "confidential"; no you can't have the snmp password for the machines that you end up having to support because all the admins are useless, its "confidential"; no you can't use the sniffer, but its not the network so you don't need the sniffer anyway;
I am sure you presented some compeling evidence that the nwtoer is the problem. Some timed ftp to show transmission speed.
They are right: you don't need sniffers, you have the tools to your disposal to pinpoint if you are having a network problem or not.
3. DBAs (The crop I have encountered - amazingly useless. The common view seems to be that the databases would run better if the developers would not be adding tables/procedures/data/queries to them)
Which is true. Developers very often do not understand relational theory, thus if a DBA spots crasss shoddy design it should be pointed out to the developper.
4. PC Admins (These are usually MS idiots who can't get it through their heads that developer toolset are completely outside of the std MS pile of crap that they dump onto every machine by default)
And your point is? IF you are the PC admin all the software on the PC is your responsibility, not only MS produced one.
5. Help(prevention)Desk.
And how do you propose to handle requests Batman?
6. UNIX Admins You have to follow the change control process, but we can do anything we want to and then cover it up because no one else has the authority to review the machines/files except us. (esp the sub department that puts together the base build "rules" and test products)
The rules are there for people that not necessarily know what they are doing. SAs can fix things, and as long as they don't compromise security and keep machines running, should be left to administer systems as they see fit.
I hope you own to your responsibilities when you are hacked because you did not have the experitse to protect your toy network.
In place of having professional Admins with years of expertise doing the work, now you have a bunch of beginners that believe they have 33lit3 sk1llz.
Good luck, you will need it.
Next?
Maybe the places where you have worked they are incompetent.
I have had the same 20 or 30 pages of paper sitting on my desk for the last six months (relating to the most important ongoing projects, these are the most referenced things).
All the rest of information is scattered in electronic format in email and internal applications that follo up everything from audits, project completions, requests, HR information, expenses, etc.
I guess it is a matter of how competent the IT people in your workplace are.
... is that these individuals (SCO "managers" and their "lawyers") make a living out of this.
You and I have to meet deadlines, pass appraisals, fear that our jobs are shipped to cheaper countries (and rightly so, but that is another matter), suffer the dialy commute just to make a living that will not makes us rich and that does not gurantee an easy retirement.
The thought that somebody (eather this person or his lawyers) has the aplomb to sit down, write such a piece of tosh and then publish it is just mindblowing.
These individuals have no regard for decency.
How do they get home, kiss hello to their loved ones: "honey, I am home! Yeah, I had a hard day, I had to come up with a document full of lies and misrepresentations in order to try to pump up our share price. What is for dinner?"
For the life of mine, I just don;t understand how they can live with themselves. No, I know. Only people without morals can achieve true wealth. Look at Saddam Hussein Palaces.
Pathetic.
Clinton was a statesman with uncontrolable libido.
Bush is Bush.
Afghanistan was bombed because they were harbouring the bulk of the organization that orchestrated the attack. In other words Doh! to you.
As for Iraq, it is a completely different matter since this country has never ever threatened the US.
... claims the "their is bigger than the Danish'"....
Is in Passau in Germany. Google it, I am lazy and I just remembered I was there.
What about other interesting tidbist like oldest, loudest, etc.?
You mean, nobody knows how the movie ends?
Blimey Batman!
... BT's claim that they invented the hyperlink will be backed by a court ruling.
Then what will you do with all the reputable institutions that teach it, The National Politechnic Institute in Mexico, a fully official, goverment funded, high education college, is one of them.
Heck, Ernesto Zedillo, former president of the country, studied there (not homeopathic medicine though), so there are serious acadmic institutions that beg to disagree with your Cuckoometer on this one.