Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 23:21:38 -0700 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: "ML Duke" <mlduke@concentric.net>, <freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: Unix skills at work Message-ID: <005301c11a52$3880f360$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.10.10107302112150.882-100000@mlduke.concentric.net>
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Boy, this guy is what Scott Adams modeled Wally on in Dilbert. On one hand he says: >Ah, well... it seems like the really serious systems, they leave >to me and don't bother me about it and on the other he says: >Philosophically, they're paying me a >large amount of money to accomplish nothing beneficial in the long >run. That's the first time I've heard administration on "the really serious systems" called "nothing beneficial in the long run" I think that most likely his superiors have just thrown up their hands and decided that here's a guy who is valuable enough to keep around because he knows some things very, very well, but he is never going to transcend beyond that. He wants to pigeonholed and they have indulged him. No wonder he is working in an enterprise environment, that's the only kind of environment that is large enough to have little cubbyholes here and there that need people stuffed into. The linotype operator story is an excuse. IT administration isn't a repetitive clerical job. All your seeing here is a guy that has a lot of experience that could be very valuable to everyone around him if he just made a little effort to present it well - who has turned his back to his organization and is selfishly unwilling to share it. Talk about deserving the chance to make the same mistakes - did he ever ask anyone if they wanted to have that chance? I don't see interesting symmetry here - I just see someone who is representative of how depressing it can be made to be if your goal is to make it depressing. What a waste. Ted Mittelstaedt tedm@toybox.placo.com Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide Book website: http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com >-----Original Message----- >From: owner-freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG >[mailto:owner-freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG]On Behalf Of ML Duke >Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2001 7:58 PM >To: freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG >Subject: Unix skills at work > > >Hi all. I know a rather rather skilled Unix fella. >Recently asked him about his work. What he said follows. >Thought some of you might be interested in some views >of an engineer/admin who works within the enterprise >environment. >--------------------------------------------------------------- >Not much to say, really. It's work. Everyday, what weren't broken >gets upgraded and broken. Philosophically, they're paying me a >large amount of money to accomplish nothing beneficial in the long >run. But I've come to understand that this is the way most of our >educated professionals think. It is very clear, though, that >they don't understand syllogistic logic. 'Course, I ain't been >college educated, but I would have thought logic would be a >prerequisite to computer science. Then again, if I had the benefit >of an education, I might understand why it no longer applies. > >I am something of the problem child at (X-Company) -- I have >trouble getting with the "program" and staying on the "same >page." On one hand, I'm expected to think independently and be >"pro-active." On the other, I'm tolerated and guided because I >forget about the "vision" and cut straight to what works. They >find that an annoyance, since it's "old-fashioned" and indicates >a lack of innovative reasoning. > >In a way, though, it's worked out well. They tolerate me because >my systems don't break and they keep me away from the visionary >innovations because I can't get through my thick skull why they >want broken (err... 'scuse me) innovative systems. > >Ah, well... it seems like the really serious systems, they leave >to me and don't bother me about it -- and -- the pay checks have >always cleared the bank, so far. So I would have to say that this >is just another gig. > >I remember when the old linotype operators struggled with the >"new" qwerty keyboard. Most couldn't make the transition. At the >time, I couldn't understand why and figured it would never happen >to me. As it turns out, it has happened to me. I won't be able or >willing to make the transition to the new way of thinking. >Mostly, I think, because I don't like it, don't respect it and >have been there, done it. Still, it's their time in the sun and >mine has passed -- they deserve the chance to repeat the same >mistakes as I did. > >There is truly an interesting symmetry in all this. > >anonymous > > > >To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message
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