I think the industry has itself to blame as well, but for a slightly different reason.
The same managers bemoaning the lack of quality IT support are part of the problem. Too often I've found myself working for managers who personify the word 'incompetent'. Not having the technical knowledge to make the decisions they're paid to make, they end up basing their decisions solely on dollars and cents. And that includes personnel decisions.
I understand that money HAS to be part of the equation, but often the cheapest solution isn't necessarily the best one. I believe this to be true in particular with IT support. I've seen many good techs and engineers let go in favor of 'fake till you make it' or the young, inexpensive (read: INEXPERIENCED) ones. In the end, the end user is the one feeling the effect.
I've worked the last decade in mostly Fortune 100 companies and these are the best examples of this. They let go an engineer in favor of someone with half of his experience then are surprised when the product they are delivering suffers.
Personally, I WISH the industry would take a good, long HARD look at itself, but from the top down, not the bottom up. There are problems at all levels, but it seems in most industries when there are recurring problems, regardless of personnel, the management eventually gets looked at. In IT, though, that rarely seems to occur.
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I think the industry has itself to blame as well, but for a slightly different reason.
The same managers bemoaning the lack of quality IT support are part of the problem. Too often I've found myself working for managers who personify the word 'incompetent'. Not having the technical knowledge to make the decisions they're paid to make, they end up basing their decisions solely on dollars and cents. And that includes personnel decisions.
I understand that money HAS to be part of the equation, but often the cheapest solution isn't necessarily the best one. I believe this to be true in particular with IT support. I've seen many good techs and engineers let go in favor of 'fake till you make it' or the young, inexpensive (read: INEXPERIENCED) ones. In the end, the end user is the one feeling the effect.
I've worked the last decade in mostly Fortune 100 companies and these are the best examples of this. They let go an engineer in favor of someone with half of his experience then are surprised when the product they are delivering suffers.
Personally, I WISH the industry would take a good, long HARD look at itself, but from the top down, not the bottom up. There are problems at all levels, but it seems in most industries when there are recurring problems, regardless of personnel, the management eventually gets looked at. In IT, though, that rarely seems to occur.