Managing Geeks 88
MindStalker writes "An unnamed friend of mine was given this article from a online mag called fastcompany, in her buisness class at an unnamed universtiy. Its entitled How to Manage Geeks. I just wanted everyones opinion on it, it seems to have some insight, while still maintaining the old dribble. " Its one of the better articles I've seen on the subject.
There's already a way to deal with this. (Score:4)
I think the industry is already doing things to prevent this from happening, and there's even a whole institution dedicated to it.
And here's how it works... Consider the case of the medium-sized business that has a fairly easy to use computer system. But they've got one guy who runs around, reboots machines, fixes problems, etc. Maybe that's not even his full time job.
For some reason, he leaves the company. They advertise for a replacement. But instead of trying to just get a "computer fixit dude" they decide they want someone who really knows what he's doing, so the position gets a title: IS Department. (See where this is going?) They get a stack of resumes in the mail, and pick the guy who obviously knows what he's doing: certifications like CNE, MSCE, etc.
Alas, that guy is now going to totally fuck the company, and they don't know it. Why? Because those certifications aren't classes in fixing computers, streamlining networks, or solving problems. They are really just indoctination sessions for learning a specific vendor's products. Next thing you know, this MSCE is going around installing Windows or Windows upgrades, and replacing apps with "better" ones. Instant job security -- not for the computer guy, but for the products themselves! Also instant understaffing, because after just a few months of "upgrades", you need 3 or 4 of these guys, just to keep the same number of computers running!
Why? Because they install stuff that sucks. On purpose. Oh, that's not really what the MSCE guy is consciously thinking, but that's what the MSCE program is designed to do.
From the industry's point of view, who needs unions when you've got vendor certification programs? The difference is that instead of manipulating an employer into getting "locked in" to a specific labor force that will suck the life out of them (can you tell I hate unions? ;-) they get "locked in" to technology vendors who suck the life by requiring a lot more labor.
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Re:Get an education... (Score:1)
Granted... the largest number of graduates are middle to
upper class students... but there are many MANY programs
out there to fund education for those willing to find
it and follow through.
An education provides you with a greater diversity
of thought and understanding that will help you in
any position you may attain in life.
Granted there are plenty of kids that get good grades and
graduate... will still being utter morons... that
will never change.
For the rest of us... an education is worthwhile
and is something everyone (that it's right for) should
work to attain.
Personally... it's the best decision I ever made.
Yeah... it's 10 years after high school...
Yeah... there are a lot of folks working towards
the same degree
Yeah... I love it
The good news is that most of these kids
are clueless punks that don't know anything.
The bad news is that most of them will probably
be hired first before they finally figure out that
they wanted me for the position all along. *shrug*
I don't mind. I have the rest of my life to do what
it is that I've stored in my noggin... my time will come.
As to the topic of discussion?
Having a core geed squad would be an asset for any
tech company... given that they maintain their touch
with reality in the tech industry and what's happening.
This is quite difficult to do...
I would rather hire Geek consultants... but then
you run into the whole "Does this guy really know
what's up??" sorta mess. How do you know that
the Geek you've hired is really as knowledgable as
he says he is..?
Are there any Geeks R Us consulting firms??
Re:IS THIS REALLY NEWS FOR NERDS? (Score:2)
Re:Don't get too comfy (Score:1)
If you take a cross section of any society, you will find that each personality trait only exists in only a fixed subset of the population. Therefore, it would appear that supply is limited. However, people without the desired personality traits, i.e. non-geeks, are joining the feast and the market is helping them will tools like Visual Basic. But, alas, even Visual Basic requires a certain amount of geekiness and there is a limit to the number of people even willing to try their hand at a technical job.
So, in response to "Don't get too comfy", I disagree with the statement "we are getting these concessions only because our skills are rare, and not because we are inherently remarkable". Geeks are suited to the job and if demand goes down, the non-geeks will be the first to go. But then again, I don't see demand slackening anytime soon.
I know this is a oversimplified argument, but it still holds. The bottom line is, I feel quite comfy, thank you very much.
You can't get too comfy in a nuclear reactor! (Score:1)
I had to bring up one point - plumbers may be under-appreciated, but have you priced a plumber lately? I think many of them might be making around software engineering level of pay, and they work hourly so they can always beef up the income if they want.
My point here is that good programmers might grow to be more under-appreciated by the masses, but I think we'll still be able to buy the Sega VisonQuest 2020 and the Playstaion 22 when the time comes without being forced to eat Ramen.
Geeks and Shakespeare (Score:1)
And some of the best geeks have degrees in English, Drama, Philosophy, you-name-it liberal arts.
In my company, it's far easier to talk about the latest production of Hamlet with the geeks than with the managers, because the geeks have actually read the play.
The social skill thing hardly holds water anymore. Most geeks that I know are able to communicate pretty damn clearly, and are impatient with people who act like they know something that they really don't.
Just my
-MVK
I think you missed the point (Score:2)
Wording it like a book on pet care is what made it funny - it's called a juxtaposition. You take something completely off the wall that most people wouldn't think of and slap it right alongside the original topic and people laugh at how similiar the two really are.
A good addition might be to elaborate on being "gentle yet firm" with your geeks such as, "If your geek stops comunicating or glares at you with wrinkles around his eyes and mouth, he is probably in an unproductive mood. Smile at him and tell him he is doing a good job. This usually settles them down to write more code. If your geek displays symptoms of consciousness of his situation, such as noises coming from the throat that sound like the word 'rays' or general unwillingness to work in a creativity-choking corporate environment, more extreme measures may be required. Try not to think of yourself as being above such acts as stonewalling employees with a show of ignorance or pompous superority. Always remember that you are better than your geek and your relationship with your geek will require much less attention on your part."
--
grappler
Dwarves and geeks (Score:1)
The article is essentially correct (Score:1)
--
Leonid S. Knyshov
Network Administrator
The best part. (Score:3)
If you don't want to lose your geeks, you have to find a way to give them promotions without turning them into managers.
That is the key problem with every company I've worked for (okay, so it's only two, but stories from friends at other companies have all been similar). They assume that the geeky jobs are at the bottom of the ladder and the PHB jobs are higher up. It's not so much that I want to put myself 'above' the managers, as it is that I want to see better stratification amongst the geeks. Too many companies have job titles that assume all geeks are the same. Most good managers know that isn't true, but they aren't in charge of the job titles, that's Human Resources, and so even the good managers can't do anything about the problem on their own. A kernel hacker with 10 years experience writing drivers *is* a different class of geek from a newly graduated 23-year old in need of some starting experience.
Re:Don't get too comfy (Score:3)
The ubiquitous blue-collar programmer is a little further off, due to the currently-unique skill set required.
But it could happen.
Lazy people unite!!! (Score:1)
oh, screw it. I'm going to sleep
"Subtle mind control? Why do all these HTML buttons say 'Submit' ?"
They left off a point or two... (Score:2)
Remember it only takes 1 or 2 immature, egotistical or all around bad attitudes to really cause a lot of problems. So I would have added look for people that work independently better than with group dynamics and see to it they get challenging projects that they can do on semi-independently, so you don't lose a talented employee.
-- Moondog
Voting for peers? (Score:2)
Has anyone actually seen this in practice?
I would be very concerned that this type of popularity contest might have a negative effect in the workplace. What if Joe/Josephine Friendly wins since he is always popular in the meetings, but you have been busy fixing all the bugs he/she wrote.
I would be more in favor of a source control sytem that allowed you to moderate and rate the last persons check-in.
Plumbers aren't so bad off (Score:2)
I would be more fearful if I were a stock broker than a geek. His high flying job will be gone when everyone realizes that he is a glorified middleman. The plumber and the network administrator will continue to work: underappreciated perhaps, but never disposable.
--
Where have I heard this all before (Score:4)
The information in the article is good, mostly on target and all but...
Frederick Brooks said it all 25-30 years ago in The Mythical Man Month.
Summation:I work there... (Score:2)
The article is essentially correct [formatted] (Score:1)
I am currently a Network Administrator at a large corp and not a manager. Yet I behave like I control things. For example, I've encouraged a couple of most trouble-generating departments to contact me directly bypassing the layers of helpdesk. Why? Because I know for a fact that the helpdesk is not going to be able to handle their problems anyway (typically involving multiple points of failure) and I'll get a user who has wasted over 2 hours and is frustrated because of that. The tech support manager is not happy with that, but that's none of my concern :-).
I encouraged helpdesk to forward their calls without managerial approval. I don't believe in making someone suffer because of some middle-level policy.
Yes, I want money, I pay for that with lack of personal life . Can you put a price tag on that? You most certainly can. I can afford any enterntainment and I don't have time for that.
Yes, I want to make impact, I see things out of place and know how to correct them, given time and resources. If I see a user using a PC that is greatly underpowered for their needs, I want to be able to suggest a replacement or schedule a replacement.
I believe in constant learning and never pass up an opportunity to pick up a yet another cert or evaluate a new product.
I automated my environment to a point where I don't have to waste time running repetitive tasks.
No, I don't have a degree, and no plans in getting one. I'll be a CTO soon enough without it :-). Why waste time learning irrelevant subjects and experience stress? I can't remember last time I was stressed at work. Why? Salaries no longer really match the degrees. I get more than many grads.
A well-written article, I'll use it for further hints on what to do next :)
--
Leonid S. Knyshov
Network Administrator
Don't forget the Hacker FAQ (Score:1)
On a lighter tone, the Hacker FAQ [plethora.net] has provided the same sort of advice for ages. Check it out.
Re:Wish list (Score:1)
Free lunch - sometimes
Glass ceiling - wireless access on a beach is better
Large desk - Check
Allowance - Easy approval instead
Umm let's see... Suse 6.1, NT Server, Win 2000, NT Workstation 4 and Win 95 (accessible but not close physically).
Can you tell I love my work?
--
Leonid S. Knyshov
Network Administrator
Too many Geeks, spoil the company (Score:4)
IT Field (Medical Field)
System Admin (Nurse) the indispensible field support of bandaging leaky systems using the ever-present duct tape (perl) and keeping life and limb together.
Help Desk (Public Health Education) informing the public of health issues and general reccomended practices. Greatly undervalued for their role in preventive health and reducine epidemics (viruses)
System Analysis (GP) first call for problem diagnosis and treatment, able to assemble a team of interns (programmers) to offer prompt (well hopefully) treatment and patient care.
Software Vendors (Drug pushers, errr
Consultant (Specialist) who understand the very detailed processes that keeps the system alive and has an intimate grasp of details. Highly trained in deep technical arcana, their expensive knowledge is highly sought to solve deep problems not normally apparent to general practictioners
Creative Source (Surgeon) one of the rare breed that have the imagination and high talent to create entirely new fields, these individuals, backed up by the appropriate team, form the seed of every major and complex software system (e.g. kernel).
Anyway, I'm sure there are other appropriate analogies people can draw. While Geek/Nerd may be a subcultural badge of distinction, in the long run it denigrates the immense levels of skills and undermines the credibility of the profession. One observation is that the IT field needs much better structure, training and certification to ensure people understand what they are getting and improve the confidence they have in the skill and/or advice they are receiving. In particular, IMHO eliminating the dominance of unnecessary administration management and returning to a more natural pyramid of talents might achieve a better job of professionals providing cost effective solutions (good information infrastructure design) instead of wasteful addiction to expensive and overrated drugs (software).
LL
Re:Get an education... (Score:1)
Now you want to know the sad part? He's having a hell of a time getting into college. He maintained a B average through HS, so he can't get any "exemplary student" scholarships. He's a white male, so he doesn't qualify for any of the minority stuff. While his parents aren't too badly off, they definitely can't afford to put him through school, and he get's turned down for every loan he applies for. He's actually considering military service so that the government will pay for it, but that's definitely not going to cover a full tuition at a school with a decent CS department (he want's to go to Berkley).
So please don't automatically assume that "anyone" who wants to attend college can. It's actually depressed me so much, watching him struggle to come up with a way to go, that I agreed to front him $20k for living expenses to ease the load a bit (over four years of course). I find it extremely sad that there are still highly talented young geeks out there who are stuck because of financial situations out of their control.
Too many geeks... (Score:1)
I have seen so many bad projects from lack of communication, or simply inability to communicate among large numbers of people. If Schmidt reckons never more than can fit in a conference room, but I bet he wishes he could make his conference rooms smaller.
Novell have some truly large projects, but one person teams are the real powerhouse of a development effort. To make them practicable you need to have a great framework for their work to fit in.
Only when each individual can be productive with a minimum of communication can you have start to have larger groupings which achieve more as you add more members.
Re:Old story (Score:1)
Re:The article is essentially correct [formatted] (Score:1)
Which card did they have in mind for "Schmidt, 44, is a card-carrying geek himself:"?
How does it go from talking about geeks to talking about him having been CTO at Sun?
As we all know, geeks use find . | cpio -pdv dest-dir to copy stuff back & forth, 'cos nothing else kicks like cpio.
They don't hire someone else to do it for them!
Re:Don't get too comfy (Score:2)
Re:Use your university years wisely (Score:1)
Shakespeare for Managers (Score:1)
Well, now this guy thinks that was a mistake. Now the Reaganites brag about Reagan's decision to pursue an arms limitation treaty with Gorbachev. Of course, this was a complete repudiation of their position and their dire warnings about the Evil Empire. Now Reagan's greatest legacy consists of embracing the advice of their enemies, the liberals. Just like Rosanna Rosannadanna: "...oops, never mind".
Well, Kenneth Adelman's a new book is called something like _Management Lessons from Shakespeare_. He said he's always been a fan; again no professional qualifications, but WTF.
Should Shakespeare afficianodos take up arms against this endorsement?
Old story (Score:2)
That said, it's a fine article. I sure wish some old bosses of mine had read and applied it...
Nerds!!!! (Score:2)
Just like I did in grade school.
Hey its good.. (Score:3)
Its more of a line of common sense, for those in whom sense is not so common. I appreciate the point that good technology is more of an art than a science -- at least that's the engineering aspect of it. Oh yeah, and geeks need to respect their managers for there to be a even semi-decent relationship between them... very true.
Oxryly
No wonder (Score:1)
AMD Rulez
Well, I'll admit to being surprised (Score:2)
I was pleasantly surprised. I got through the first few paragraphs and felt that old sinking feeling whenever a social group gets pidgeonholed. Gross generalizations break down so easily, they're rarely useful outside of humor.
On the other hand, when I got to the actual advice, I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the advice given described the way I generally prefer to be treated. I've complained many times before, "Tell me where we need to go, not how I should get there." (FYI - I'm not a techie, I'm a secretary. Even if I am a geek.)
It's good advice, and like all good advice, isn't going to change the people who really need it anyway.
It is a good article.... (Score:1)
Although, my main advice to most managers is "retire." The response I usually get is "I did."
_____________________
fyi: (Score:1)
-Zebulun.org
Re:Old story (Score:2)
Regards, Ralph.
It was useful the first time... (Score:1)
Last time it ran, I forwarded a link to my company's HR manager, and she thought it was really eye-opening; she forwarded it to the whole executive team.
Then again, I haven't noticed any tangible results of the widespread exposure to the article. C'est la guerre...
Bravery, Kindness, Clarity, Honesty, Compassion, Generosity
Re:Old story (Score:2)
Granted... this won't stop a flood of "this is OLD NEWS!" posts. :)
Geeks in cages (Score:5)
Be firm, yet gentle with your geeks. If a geek has lost it's temper, do not make eye contact. That could cause them to attack you. Instead, talk in a soothing voice and hope that the geek goes back to what it was doing. Have trainquilizer darts if necessary.
A clean geek is a happy geek. They should be washed regularly, and their cages should be kept clean and neat. Feed your geeks deworming medication daily to keep their intestinal tracks free of parasites and other pests. Having them checked up twice a year will also give you a happy healthy geek that has a shiny coat and bright teeth. A rabies shot is a must.
Positive renforcement is good for your geeks. Try using biscuits or other treats when training them. Negative renforcement can also be effective. Shouting "No!" in a clear voice will carry the message of dissatisfaction.
But, don't forget. Years of love and care for your geek will give you a geek that loves and cares for you!
uh... (Score:3)
Don't say this (Score:3)
Case against consultoids (Score:5)
My first thought was that this claim, on the surface, seems to be an argument against vertically distributing your enterprise.
But on rethinking it, I recognized that a specific statement is being made here -- the value of controlling your information infrastructure. In a world where the variables defining the digital universe are constantly in flux, it helps have permanent core crew members who are in touch with them.
The truth is, you need to have a stable of technologists around -- not just to run your systems but also to help you figure out which strategies to pursue, which innovations to invest in, and which partnerships to form.
I have only found this to be true when two conditions are satisfied:
a) These technologists must have a grasp of the larger strategic business picture - they should understand concepts such as the technology adoption life cycle, Ronald Coase's theory of transaction costs, the theory of "network externalities" (whether you subscribe to it or not) and other realms typically outside off the scope of your average geek.
b) If (a) is true, management must also commit in a powerful way to trusting and embracing the input from these "renaissance geeks". In fact, such geeks should be a part of the core management team, perhaps not necessarily at a president/ceo level, but at least at a CIO/CTO level.
I've seen cases -- large companies in PARTICULAR -- where the CIO/CTO did NOT come from a technology background! These people, while hard working, smart, and enthusiastic about learning, simply don't have the gut level immersion in technology that I believe it takes to have a chance at really understanding it.
It's a fact of life: If the technologists in your company invent something ahead of everybody else, then all of a sudden your business will get bigger.
Again, only subject to condition (b) above. I'm sure that we've all had personal experience with companies within which some innovative group devised a genuinely creative and powerful concept, only to be squashed by the skepticism and lack of support from non-geek brass.
I can see how this perspective arises from the fact of Eric Schmidt being something of a geek himself.
Perhaps the last commandment missing from this article should be:
"BE a geek."
Get an education... (Score:3)
Getting a professional education does not in and of itself insure anything. So what happens if 99% of the population gets a professional education? Wages for professionals go down b/c there is a greater supply of 'professionals'. The real answer, at least in our economy is to be unique. The more unique your skills, the more likely you are to get a higher paying job.
Education in this country is limited mostly along class lines -- most rich kids + the token brilliant poor kids. By limiting the availability of education, a college degree still "means" something.
If you disagree with me, consider the high school diploma. Once, it was a sign of some level of education. Now, it is considered a given that anyone should have a high school diploma--you can't even join the army without one. The cost of a high school graduate, though, is minimum wage--as low as possible. A college degree once meant you were a professional, but now B.A.'s etc. are so common that post graduate studies (M.B.A, M.F.A., etc.) are considered the signifier of the professional.
It's not the just the learning of education that creates the well paid professional -- it's the uneven (and othen unequitable) distribution of that education.
Re:Windows is a brilliant piece of software (Score:1)
I don't think Schmidt meant that these are brilliant projects, but rather that they are all bad follow-ups. The language is ambiguous.
So, either he thinks Unix is a sorry followup to MULTICS, or he's rightly upset with some of its poorer implementations...
Programming koans (Score:2)
This simply isn't possible. The longer they're "permanent," the more they lose touch with the rest of the world.
The sole exception, and it's only a partial solution, is someone who's active with OSS in addition to his day job. He'll be aware of new ways of fixing the nasty problems that never seem to go away, but it won't have the same impact as actually working on 6 contracts in three years. I have a fairly good idea of how things are really working in the world today (and the fact that only one project in 6 really had its act together is sobering), but I also know that if I stay at a single job for only 12-18 months I'll lose my touch on the tech pulse.
Re:Just a thought..... (Score:1)
There are places you can go. In any medium to large city there are going to be 'help desk' positions. It means dealing with a large number of technologically impaired people, but you can do it.
While you are there, make friends with the netadmins, or sysadmins, or whatever. Start a conversation, or a debate about something geeky. Pretend to be swayed, come back later with another point.
Above all, keep learning.
When the time comes, you can put everything you know into the current job, and move on.
Starting out sucks regardless. Starting out as a clerk that does some computer stuff when the help desk is busy or clueless sucks even more. It can be done, though, it just takes work.
Hermetic - no degree, no schoolin', just hack for fun and profit.
Inferior (Score:2)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this article _does_ regard us as unintelligent individuals, unable to detect condescending attitudes. It may have been intended to be humorous, but a similar article about, say, blondes or people of African descent would have been considered biased or racist.
Attitudes like this are what cause geeks to be considered as mere hired hands, to do the work. As already stated, we may become unimportant in the work environment, merely because there are too many of us. (if it were possible)
However, I don't think this to be the case. There just aren't enough technically inclinded individuals that like computers. Most people just aren't interested in computers - they're good for games, email, and writting papers, but that's about it. People see something and don't appreciate the artistic or technical tallent behind a piece of technology, and just think it's neat, something else to make their life easier.
Darn it, it's just cool! That's why we do what we do.
-------
CAIMLAS
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Windows is a brilliant piece of software (Score:1)
That's my $(2^4*3+1/7%3*2/100)
Re:Get an education... (Score:1)
So please don't automatically assume that "anyone" who wants to attend college can. It's actually depressed me so much, watching him struggle to come up with a way to go, that I agreed to front him $20k for living expenses to ease the load a bit (over four years of course). I find it extremely sad that there are still highly talented young geeks out there who are stuck because of financial situations out of their control.
I'm going to say something evil... Community College. If he can live at home and doesn't mind working during college or taking 5+ years its very easy.
Later,
MarkV.
Re:Case against consultoids (Score:1)
Re:Don't get too comfy (Score:1)
As a matter of fact, I've been interested over the last couple of decades in how often it is that some people look down on "programmers," for many the generic name that covers anyone connected with computers. And in my lifetime (I'm in my 50's), auto mechanics have gradually moved from being respected professionals to the modern-day equivalent of the "peasant," symbolic of anyone that that is dumb, ignorant, philistine and conniving.
There might be something rather deeply psychological at play, here -- I understand that engineers and master mariners are considered lower middle class in Britain, and musicians were among the lowest denizens of traditional Korean society.
Re:Old story (Score:1)
Honestly, though, it was a good article. Once in a while, reposting something that people who are new might have missed seems like "not a bad thing to do."
Windows is a brilliant piece of software (Score:2)
Um. Say what?
If anybody did the inventing, it was Xerox PARC inventing the GUI with the GEM desktop. I used GEM way back when with apps like Ventura Publisher .. and the sad thing is, Windows has not really articulated the fundamental value of the GUI much more than GEM did.
More accurately (in my memory) the Lisa and the Mac advanced the GUI a step beyond GEM, but Windows never moved it much beyond that -- at least from an interface standpoint.
I had to take issue with that statement by Schmidt!
Beat the /. effect (Score:2)
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:5806895&dq=c
Russ Mitchell, the author, was my editor when I was writing features for Wired, and he's got a pretty solid handle on west-coast/SOMA geek culture.
Slashdotted already (Score:1)
Stuff like: keep focus groups small and use peer review since geeks are best qualified and are prone to correct other geeks.
I submitted that article to COO of a software development company and he found it really helpful toward understanding how to best motivate techies. That is something most managers are clueless about. The more we see about this topic the better management and engineering will coexist.
Don't get too comfy (Score:5)
These workers were highly paid and greatly catered to by their employers, but they ultimately remained working men. Their social standing was not greatly changed by their wealth. As the technology gradually became ubiquitous, more and more of these skilled workers were needed for their maintenance. This proliferation diluted the value of the skill, and the lofty position of the "royal proletariat" disintegrated. Consider the lowly plumber of today: he is lampooned and considered inferior by those not in the know, but he quite probably is indispensible to our civilization.
If computers undergo a shift towards simplification, or if they become as common as some people predict, then our own cushy posture might have to change as well. Ultimately, it's important to realize that we are getting these concessions only because our skills are rare, and not because we are inherently remarkable. If the supply ever exceeds the demand, some of you might start reconsidering JonKatz's endless calls for geek unionization.
Hey, so I'm a pessimist. Sue me.
-konstant
geeks and bees (Score:3)
Although i'm sure it's old to this audience, i still prefer Orson Scott Card's take on managing programmers like bees. I found the text of it here [things.org]
Just a thought..... (Score:2)
However, I do know a few who truly love compurters. They can program in numerous languages on numerous platforms (and don't need certification to prove it). But, Corprate America dosen't like them, they don't understand that they can do hundreds of times more work then other people and can administer whole networks all by them selves. All they see is a self-taught social outcast who dosen't have any certification to back him up.
In conclution, while there are a few companies out there (like Novell) who hire true geeks, most companies choose their computer personel just like any other job, who has certification, experence, can spell their name correct on a job application, etc.... What people need to realise it that the self-taught geek is a whole lot more valueable then any MCSE anyday.
That's my $(2^4*3+1/7%3*2/100)
Re:Don't get too comfy (Score:3)
Professional education is what differentiates an engineer from a technician. It involves not only learning the skills of your job, but also the theory and ethics of it. Engineers do not learn a laundry list of languages, operating systems, hardware types, etc, but rather we learn everything behind it.
I would say the biggest difference is, it's a lot harder to replace an engineer.
Comments welcome!
bp
Re:Don't say this (Score:1)
Re:Nerds!!!! (Score:1)
not bad but ... (Score:1)
"If the technologists in your company invent something ahead of everybody else, then all of a sudden your business will get bigger. Otherwise, it will get smaller."
True only in short term
The list goes on and on. Seems to me that what managers need to get over is the all too obvious fact that "first to market = prototype" in the long run second or third to market wins.
Re:Inferior (Score:1)
This is how Linux is developed. (Score:1)
This is how all the successful OSS projects are run. Even Linus generally gets chunks of "separate" projects to integrate ( I.e. "SCSI" doesn't really care what "USB" is up to and neither looks at Memory management except as a finished platform to build on.
He just explained how to scale large projects and you had all better listen.
PS : It may be old but some things are worth repeating every time the number of Slashdoters doubles because we all need to read them and 2X the crowd means >50% are new ( some people leave too :)
This is a document to pay attention to. (Score:1)
Re:Middle management is DEAD (Score:1)
Windows NT crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
Rewrite in Geek Speak (Score:1)
Be firm, yet gentle with your geeks. If a geek has lost it's temper, do not make vocal contact. That could cause them to attack you. Instead, e-mail them in a soothing voice and hope that the geek goes back to what it was doing. Have Quake 3 CD's if necessary.
A clean geek is a happy geek. They should be washed regularly, and their locked subroutines should be kept clean and neat. Feed your geeks antivirus definition files daily to keep their intestinal tracks free of viruses and other pests. Having them checked up twice a year will also give you a happy healthy geek that has a shiny code and bright keyboard keys. A Linux shot is a must.
Positive renforcement is good for your geeks. Try using computer chips or other treats when training them. Negative renforcement can also be effective. Shouting "Microsoft!" in a clear voice will carry the message of dissatisfaction.
But, don't forget. Years of love and care for your geek will give you a geek that loves and codes for you!
still maintaining the same old dribble? (Score:1)
Oh, you meant drivel. ;)
I was wondering where basketball came into this.
Re:Windows is a brilliant piece of software (Score:1)
Re:Windows is a brilliant piece of software (Score:1)
^_^
Re:Don't get too comfy (Score:1)
The day they make Oracle simple enough for your mom to use it the day that geeks will be useless.
Hey, it could happen!
Seriously though, things will get easier and harder. It's not like technology is standing still. I don't think there will be some grand sweeping simpilization that will breeze through and invalidate techincal competance.
Re:Don't get too comfy (Score:1)
I'm not overly comfortable with the idea that I have personality quirks which must be pandered to before I become fully productive in any company, and that I have the right to be treated this way because I have certain skills and knowledge. Elitism sucks.
Maturity requires some flexibility. Not that you have to become an ass-kisser, but it's not impossible to consider other people's styles of working and meet them halfway.
Taking a professional attitude to your work, keeping your skills and knowledge up (I've worked on mainframes, Unix, and Web programming, and I've never noticed these cliques the author talked about) and not acting like an arrogant prima donna should keep you in secure employment.