July 22, 2008 at 7:44 am
Outsourcing hit the IT sector, just like manufacturing.
its based on the simple fact that living elsewhere is much cheaper. For the price of one developer, hire a 100.
Forget about quality, these people work in an invironment similar to where they breed chicken. So many companies are now realizing and regretting it.
July 22, 2008 at 8:29 am
Good article, Steve.
I have mixed feelings about certifications. It does give me exposure to features that I wouldn't get to try out otherwise.... I am more apt to study for a test and never take it, just to discover the tools that are out there and learn quick and concise ways to answer questions that I could be asked and need to answer immediately.
As a DBA who likes the development side of things, I spend a lot of time learning and trying things out to gain that IT Instinct. My company generally keeps people in silos, though, so I would never see a return in my current job, but maybe the next one that comes along.
I don't dwell on the possibility of losing my job to outsourcing or anything else. I'd rather keep an eye on the job boards to see what people want for skills and build those instead of trying to hang on until the next round of layoffs comes around.
July 22, 2008 at 8:29 am
IT is often seen as a cost center, but you can change that to some extent by becoming a strategic group that works to grow the business, increase opportunities, show other groups how to gain competitive advantages. Hard to get started sometimes, but work on small projects to show value.
Other than sales, all groups cost money without making any. Even the production lines (developers, guys building cars, whatever) are cost centers. Maybe they have better charge backs, but they're not generating revenue.
Slowly this perspective changes a bit as more and more people see how technology can enable things. Of course there are lots of "utility-like" pieces to IT. File storage, email, etc. are like telephones, electricity, and water. They have to work all the time.
Finding talented people takes effort, and as I mentioned, it often comes from relying on people you can trust. I'm sure we all know some really talented people and would instantly recommend them. If they don't get used, chances are they'll move on and someone else will take advantage of them.
It takes a good manager to recognize the talent under him/her and use it without wasting it. Unfortunately there are lots of not-so-good managers out there.
July 22, 2008 at 9:11 am
I'm sorry, but I'm not really seeing anything new here. "Degrees and certifications are no indicator of quality." "We want team players." "We want flexible people." If they believe that degrees and certifications are not an indicator of quality, then tell their HR departments to stop asking for them. After HR burrows out from under the deluge of resumes and slaughters IT management, the new management will realize that these are filters. If they want team players, then treat their people with more respect. Throw some movie passes at them every once in a while, maybe even sponsor a happy hour at Applebee's and pick up the tab. If they want flexibility, don't mention outsourcing or off-shoring, don't expect your people to work 50 hour weeks on a regular basis, and don't cut budgets earmarked to upgrade crufty servers (our AS/400 box is 15 years old and I have one NT4 server running, along with I don't know how many Win2000 servers).
I'd like to see the author go to the web sites of the people they interviewed and see if their employment opportunities jibe with what they're saying.
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[font="Arial"]Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it. --Samuel Johnson[/font]
July 22, 2008 at 9:27 am
Wayne West (7/22/2008)
I'm sorry, but I'm not really seeing anything new here. "Degrees and certifications are no indicator of quality." "We want team players." "We want flexible people." If they believe that degrees and certifications are not an indicator of quality, then tell their HR departments to stop asking for them. ....
Alas, requiring certs is another part of CYA, especially in the hiring world where claims of bias or discrimination in hiring can be a legal minefield. It passes off much of the work of evaluating a prospect to a third party.
IT knowledge does not exist in a vacuum. More often than not, the IT skills you refer to are reflected in other aspects of a person's life and interests. Is this the type of person whose first instinct is to pick up a tool when something goes wrong around the house or the car? Is it the kind of person who is constantly reading, who is trying to improve their personal space (house, car, garden) through tinkering? Or are they completely passive, getting through, or wanting everything to be pre-packaged for them?
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-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
July 22, 2008 at 9:33 am
Loner (7/22/2008)
Some of the quality that they are looking for has to do with the company. How do the company motivate their employees and provide growth opportunities for their employees?
This is very true - I have worked a lot of my career in Aerospace, which means I have had to look for new positions every few years when the contract ended. I stayed longest with the companies whose management made me care about the company, and consequently helped me find other projects within the same company. Conversely, I have worked a couple of places where I started looking for a new job within a few months of hiring on, because their corporate culture was so punitive. That doesn't mean I was able to jump ship when I wanted (only one time did I leave a company within a year of hiring on), but it did mean I kept my eye out and was ready when the first opportunity to leave presented itself.
July 22, 2008 at 9:36 am
jay holovacs (7/22/2008)
Wayne West (7/22/2008)
I'm sorry, but I'm not really seeing anything new here. "Degrees and certifications are no indicator of quality." "We want team players." "We want flexible people." If they believe that degrees and certifications are not an indicator of quality, then tell their HR departments to stop asking for them. ....Alas, requiring certs is another part of CYA, especially in the hiring world where claims of bias or discrimination in hiring can be a legal minefield. It passes off much of the work of evaluating a prospect to a third party.
IT knowledge does not exist in a vacuum. More often than not, the IT skills you refer to are reflected in other aspects of a person's life and interests. Is this the type of person whose first instinct is to pick up a tool when something goes wrong around the house or the car? Is it the kind of person who is constantly reading, who is trying to improve their personal space (house, car, garden) through tinkering? Or are they completely passive, getting through, or wanting everything to be pre-packaged for them?
I have some colleagues who do not own a computer at home. When asked why? they answer, they have no need for it.
I do not believe in a programmer without a computer at home.
I do not believe in a programmer who does not tinker with programs at home.
I do not believe in a programmer who does not play computer games.
July 22, 2008 at 9:40 am
jburkman (7/22/2008)
It's why every IT department should have one or two openings permanently available in case someone that's really valuable comes along. Identifying that person can be hard, and to a large extent a hiring manager needs to trust the recommendations of his staff or friends at other companies, but when that great talent becomes available, you want to be able to secure it.
Sadly, as I've found from personal experience, this can be a dual-edged sword. I'm one of those "catches", yet a year later my company still doesn't know what to do with me. In the interim, I'm stuck in a position that utilizes only a very small part of my strengths. Frustration all around.
Yes, keep a slot open. But no fair catching a cat then expecting it not to yowl terribly while being shut in a wet cardboard box all day.
I have also been there. For both my current company (tenure not quite 6 months so far) and my former company (almost 5 years) they actually created a positiion for me. I have found that it helps to informally network internally and talk about how I can help them. It can be surprising what they don't know about you, even in a small company: I was actually at my current job for almost two months before the CEO realized I had a background in computers - I have a BS in CS - he thought I had been hired for my MBA and BA in Math.
July 22, 2008 at 9:40 am
Steve,
Enjoyed the read. Would like to say that if we can find people who will work and stay a few years we are ahead of the game. If we find a really good one who can solve more problems then they create, better.
Those who really know the business and the internals are in very high demand. Those who think in the pure logic of the machine are very very hard for find and retain. Those who can use the pure logic and explain it to others, or to be tolerant of others failures are darn near impossible to find.
Miles...
Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!
July 22, 2008 at 9:46 am
Wayne West (7/22/2008)
If they want flexibility, don't mention outsourcing or off-shoring, don't expect your people to work 50 hour weeks on a regular basis, and don't cut budgets earmarked to upgrade crufty servers (our AS/400 box is 15 years old and I have one NT4 server running, along with I don't know how many Win2000 servers).
This is so true. I left one job because my supervisor was getting on my case about "only" working 50-55 hours and six days a week. He wanted me to come in on Sunday, too. Then he as so surprised when I turned in my notice.
July 22, 2008 at 10:13 am
jpowers (7/22/2008)
Wayne West (7/22/2008)
If they want flexibility, don't mention outsourcing or off-shoring, don't expect your people to work 50 hour weeks on a regular basis, and don't cut budgets earmarked to upgrade crufty servers (our AS/400 box is 15 years old and I have one NT4 server running, along with I don't know how many Win2000 servers).This is so true. I left one job because my supervisor was getting on my case about "only" working 50-55 hours and six days a week. He wanted me to come in on Sunday, too. Then he as so surprised when I turned in my notice.
There is a problem with what I call a sense of entitlement in many businesses. From the employer's perspective, in many cases like you show here, it's "I've given you a job, and I expect you to work yourself to death." This is where you truly see "human resources", people being treated as resources for the betterment of the company. If one cog breaks, replace it.
I wonder if attitudes would change if we stopped calling HR what it is and forced them to go back to Personnel. Heaven forbid that employees should be persons and not resources!:D
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[font="Arial"]Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it. --Samuel Johnson[/font]
July 22, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I think there's a sense of entitlement on both sides in many cases. Too often it seems there are people (management or employees) that don't want to go with the old maxim: "an honest days pay for an honest day's work"
Two things. If someone's paying you, you should work for them. Think about how you want your plumber/electrician/handyman working when you pay him and remember that at work.
The other is that if you offer someone a job, you need to do that in good faith, meaning you'll pay them as part of a social contract and continue to pay them day after day. You don't look for ways to undermine your employees through overwork/offshoring/contracting/etc. If the business fundamentally changes, then you provide notice. Otherwise, work with what you have and build a business, don't run it like a quarter to quarter investment.
July 22, 2008 at 1:04 pm
You're a very wise man, Mr. Jones. You sure I can't come to work for you? 😛
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
July 22, 2008 at 1:49 pm
"I do not believe in a programmer without a computer at home.
I do not believe in a programmer who does not tinker with programs at home.
I do not believe in a programmer who does not play computer games. "
Damus has a point...
Are there REALLY people in IT who don't have computers at home?:w00t:
By the way, how do you guys get that nifty quote box when responding to other posts?
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“Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.”
July 22, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Re: quote box --
you see the buttons above the messages (Reply, Quote, etc.)? Select the Quote button above the message and it automatically quotes the message, leaving room for you to respond below. You can edit the quoted message to just get the section to which you are responding.
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