"If your answer involves "open source" then you can stop right there. Nobody (except about half the slashdot audience) gives a rat's ass about source code as long as the software works properly."
Very well put. Bear in mind that for every one person who is a developer (or even knows how software works for that matter) there are thousands of plain old end-users who want a piece of software to do one thing for them easily. That's why having different OEMs for software is healthy. It gives you options that you don't have to develop yourself.
Open source is great for a developer, as it allows us to make applications do what we want how we want it done...if you know how to code. By the same token, I wish my refrigerator had some features it doesn't. While I'm sure I could find the parts to make those options possible, I'm not mechanically inclined or motivated enough to do it myself. So I'll just shop around until I find a model that has the features I'm looking for.
Prior to starting my own business, I was in IT for ten years, the last seven of them in management. Training was always the biggest issue I faced.
While every employer I was with recognized that IT was business critical, funding was always woefully inadequate. I especially remember having to beg for funding for to replace back up tapes that were five years old. (If the tapes were that old, imagine how old the equipment was.)
In ten years, and managing over 200 people during that time, I was able to secure funding to send 5 of them to training. Yet the network engineers, support techs, programmers, etc. were all expected to keep up with cutting edge technologies and practices.
And this isn't just a male or female issue. It's an IT worker issue in general. Most of the people who worked for me obtained training on their own time and on their own dime, some even obtaining degrees. The best I could do for these folks was adjust their work schedules where possible to accomodate their classes.
Sometimes it was possible to get pay increases for them after they received a certification or degree, but that was the exception rather than the rule.
So sadly, in IT you are pretty much on your own. My advice to you, as it was to everyone who worked for me at a company that didn't support or recognize training, is to gain the knowledge in any way you can. And while you're balancing work, training, and homelife, you should also be networking, contacting recruiters, and using any other means available to you to find employment at company that will support you and reward you for your efforts.
If you prefer to stay where you're at, gather as many whitepapers and articles as you can on training ROI. Arm yourself, and your boss, with this information, and present a business case for any training you may need.
There is a labor shortage coming on the near horizon. Strategic hiring and retention are going to be increasing in importance. You can use the cost of attrition to help you make your business case. (You can visit my website at http://www.johncelloconsulting.com/ for more information on this. I also have an attrition cost calculator at http://www.johncelloconsulting.com/attcalc.html.)
Slashdot Mirror
"If your answer involves "open source" then you can stop right there. Nobody (except about half the slashdot audience) gives a rat's ass about source code as long as the software works properly."
Very well put. Bear in mind that for every one person who is a developer (or even knows how software works for that matter) there are thousands of plain old end-users who want a piece of software to do one thing for them easily. That's why having different OEMs for software is healthy. It gives you options that you don't have to develop yourself.
Open source is great for a developer, as it allows us to make applications do what we want how we want it done...if you know how to code. By the same token, I wish my refrigerator had some features it doesn't. While I'm sure I could find the parts to make those options possible, I'm not mechanically inclined or motivated enough to do it myself. So I'll just shop around until I find a model that has the features I'm looking for.
(Note to toaster - you're next pal!)
Prior to starting my own business, I was in IT for ten years, the last seven of them in management. Training was always the biggest issue I faced.
While every employer I was with recognized that IT was business critical, funding was always woefully inadequate. I especially remember having to beg for funding for to replace back up tapes that were five years old. (If the tapes were that old, imagine how old the equipment was.)
In ten years, and managing over 200 people during that time, I was able to secure funding to send 5 of them to training. Yet the network engineers, support techs, programmers, etc. were all expected to keep up with cutting edge technologies and practices.
And this isn't just a male or female issue. It's an IT worker issue in general. Most of the people who worked for me obtained training on their own time and on their own dime, some even obtaining degrees. The best I could do for these folks was adjust their work schedules where possible to accomodate their classes.
Sometimes it was possible to get pay increases for them after they received a certification or degree, but that was the exception rather than the rule.
So sadly, in IT you are pretty much on your own. My advice to you, as it was to everyone who worked for me at a company that didn't support or recognize training, is to gain the knowledge in any way you can. And while you're balancing work, training, and homelife, you should also be networking, contacting recruiters, and using any other means available to you to find employment at company that will support you and reward you for your efforts.
If you prefer to stay where you're at, gather as many whitepapers and articles as you can on training ROI. Arm yourself, and your boss, with this information, and present a business case for any training you may need.
There is a labor shortage coming on the near horizon. Strategic hiring and retention are going to be increasing in importance. You can use the cost of attrition to help you make your business case. (You can visit my website at http://www.johncelloconsulting.com/ for more information on this. I also have an attrition cost calculator at http://www.johncelloconsulting.com/attcalc.html.)
Wishing you the best of luck.