Yeah, I got the same flack from Ameritech when I told them I wanted an ADSL line for my Linux box.
Them: "Oh, no. Windows95/98 are the only supported OS's."
Me: "Huh? Why is that?"
Them: "Well, that's just the way it is".
Actually, it turns out they use a really lame ATM card, so the lack of Linux drivers for it actually *is* a stepping-stone I can't seem to get over.
Luckily, TCI offers cable modems now, and so I'll just go with them... leaving me in the strange state of getting cable service from Ameritech (via Americast, which I highly recommend) and Internet connectivity via TCI (whose cable services I always hated).
My god. If people think college exists so you can learn stuff to make a ton of $$$, they are missing the point.
College is (hopefully) a growth experience. A well-rounding of a person. Oh yeah, you learn job skills. But most importantly, you learn *to think*. I got more out of my History / Sociology courses than I did any tech course (BS in Chemistry).
As far as CS experience, I think you do need to learn the theory to be good in the field. You can be a so-so hack who makes OK money with no grounding in the fundamentals, sure. But if you don't ever learn the more abstract concepts (whether in college or on your own initiative), you probably will hit the limits of your knowledge sooner or later...
Anyway... if you can go to college, *do it*! The worst thing you'll get is a lot of hangovers, and a student loan to pay off for 10 years (but you'll probably make an extra $250 a month to cover that, so financially it's not bad). Learn for the sake of learning, spending 4 years to improve the quality of the rest of your life isn't such a bad deal!
Entrepreurialism is the new model...
on
Why Work Sucks
·
· Score: 1
I couldn't agree more. Look at what Rob is doing; he's out of school and already his own boss (way to go, Rob, wish I would have had the guts and energy back then).
Given that the days of the company being your nurturing parent are over (if they ever really existed except in 50s sitcoms), the next natural development is to band together in groups that *are* going to serve the interests of all involved. Small, tightly-focused collectives.
I think it starts with very small firms (5-10 people) who then band together in consortiums (I'm looking out for contracts, and when I don't want something, let me hand it off to your group instead).
It's becoming more and more of a model. I would totally encourage anyone who really, truly, is frustrated to examine that as an option. You *can* be your own boss, and it's much more healthy mentally than being a corp slave (and knowing it -- nothing saps the will like feeling like a drone).
United Information Technology Workers
on
Why Work Sucks
·
· Score: 1
Umm, no.
It's a bad idea. Why? Because if you're getting exploited ($30,000 for a 60 hour week? If you're getting $30K, you're a total newbie to the field and it's not worth making you work overtime, you don't have enough to contribute yet), leave. Don't ask a union to do the job for you, vote with your feet and get another job. If you can't at least get a 5% raise after 6 months of looking around (read "Ask The HeadHunter" for tips on how to look), then maybe you're in the best situation you can find for now.
Still, 30K for 60 hours? Not worth it. At the very least, you should be getting overtime pay for that (making your real salary something more like $35K, which I wouldn't consider too bad to make in the first 1-2 years of an IT career).
My take on unions is that I prefer a system where my skills determine what I make, not the amount of whining me and 50 of my buddies do. I'm just not a union fan, and never will be.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, I got the same flack from Ameritech when I told them I wanted an ADSL line for my Linux box.
Them: "Oh, no. Windows95/98 are the only supported OS's."
Me: "Huh? Why is that?"
Them: "Well, that's just the way it is".
Actually, it turns out they use a really lame ATM card, so the lack of Linux drivers for it actually *is* a stepping-stone I can't seem to get over.
Luckily, TCI offers cable modems now, and so I'll just go with them... leaving me in the strange state of getting cable service from Ameritech (via Americast, which I highly recommend) and Internet connectivity via TCI (whose cable services I always hated).
Strange world.
My god. If people think college exists so you can learn stuff to make a ton of $$$, they are missing the point.
College is (hopefully) a growth experience. A well-rounding of a person. Oh yeah, you learn job skills. But most importantly, you learn *to think*. I got more out of my History / Sociology courses than I did any tech course (BS in Chemistry).
As far as CS experience, I think you do need to learn the theory to be good in the field. You can be a so-so hack who makes OK money with no grounding in the fundamentals, sure. But if you don't ever learn the more abstract concepts (whether in college or on your own initiative), you probably will hit the limits of your knowledge sooner or later...
Anyway... if you can go to college, *do it*! The worst thing you'll get is a lot of hangovers, and a student loan to pay off for 10 years (but you'll probably make an extra $250 a month to cover that, so financially it's not bad). Learn for the sake of learning, spending 4 years to improve the quality of the rest of your life isn't such a bad deal!
I couldn't agree more. Look at what Rob is doing; he's out of school and already his own boss (way to go, Rob, wish I would have had the guts and energy back then).
Given that the days of the company being your nurturing parent are over (if they ever really existed except in 50s sitcoms), the next natural development is to band together in groups that *are* going to serve the interests of all involved. Small, tightly-focused collectives.
I think it starts with very small firms (5-10 people) who then band together in consortiums (I'm looking out for contracts, and when I don't want something, let me hand it off to your group instead).
It's becoming more and more of a model. I would totally encourage anyone who really, truly, is frustrated to examine that as an option. You *can* be your own boss, and it's much more healthy mentally than being a corp slave (and knowing it -- nothing saps the will like feeling like a drone).
Umm, no.
It's a bad idea. Why? Because if you're getting exploited ($30,000 for a 60 hour week? If you're getting $30K, you're a total newbie to the field and it's not worth making you work overtime, you
don't have enough to contribute yet), leave. Don't ask a union to do the job for you, vote with your feet and get another job. If you can't at least get a 5% raise after 6 months of looking around (read "Ask The HeadHunter" for tips on how to look), then maybe you're in the best situation you can find for now.
Still, 30K for 60 hours? Not worth it. At the very least, you should be getting overtime pay for that (making your real salary something more like $35K, which I wouldn't consider too bad to make in the first 1-2 years of an IT career).
My take on unions is that I prefer a system where my skills determine what I make, not the amount of whining me and 50 of my buddies do. I'm just not a union fan, and never will be.