(no subject)

[random-c.livejournal.com]

Dear Ms Boss

You are not a tech. I am a tech. My job is mostly to make sure that when the helldesk flag an issue coming up a lot on our 20,000 machines that we stop it happening again. Sometimes I just have to make new stuff work on old kit. This means that what should happen is that you tell me the company want to do a thing, I explain to you how we would go about this thing, you write up all the documents in Business, I correct your chronic lack of understanding and we both toddle along to a meeting with the people who hold the purse strings to explain why we should do this.

What should really not happen is that I suggest an idea to you, you say "cool, write up all these docs" and then badger me for them while ignoring my many requests for help in translating things into Business because you're "not a project manager any more". Or inform me that project management is my "natural career progression" and that I have no choice but to learn this without an O'Reilly to help me.

Nor should you talk to $co-head-of-techops1 about exact hardware specs when you already told me to talk to $co-head-of-techops2. They never agree on ANYTHING and I last saw them on the stairs apparently about to have a sword fight to determine whether we should spec a SATA RAID card for the existing machine or use NAS.

What really *really* should not happen is when I give you this document, you tell me it's not right and that you´ll go through fixing it... and amongst other things replace all my references to the data files being stored in \var\spool to references to them being on the d: drive, but leave in all the snide comments and incorrectly formatted sections.

What really really *really* shouldn't happen is that you then send this edited document to the heads of techops, who, if they weren't aware that I'd already sneakily built a proof of concept which works entirely from the command line (and so isn't acceptable as a production system) would have thought I was a complete idiot because you didn't put your name on it at all.

PS, my notice was handed direct to your boss. When you get back from your holiday, which I hope you don't enjoy anywhere near as much as we're all going to enjoy your not being here, your "natural career progression" is trying to find someone else with my skills for the money and who's prepared to put up with your colossal attitude.

Comments

[innazim.livejournal.com]

ouch! (good for you tho!)

[jill-idle.livejournal.com]

I bet he had 6 fingers.

[redhillian.livejournal.com]

That PS... that's win right there. I hope you have great fun where you go!

[ptstech.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

[mattcaron.livejournal.com]

which works entirely from the command line (and so isn't acceptable as a production system)

*blink*

Why? How else can you whack it via a low bandwidth SSH connection?

[random-c.livejournal.com]

Oh command line is fine for *supporting* it but apparently the assumption is that a command line is too challenging for the production line. The test dept cope fine with it - and even managed to get the IP for me when I lost the post-it note, despite ifconfig being hidden somewhere their user couldn't automatically see it - but my experience of Production does indicate that they're employed more for their ability to move large numbers of -ing great gaming terminal cabinets about without breaking (the cabinets or themselves) than for their intelligence or literacy. I said hello to one, and he grunted. The machine they currently use has one button, is "industrial" and they're on their third one this year.

[mattcaron.livejournal.com]

the assumption is that a command line is too challenging for the production line

Hahahhahahaahaaa! This is why half the industry needs to be fired because they are a bunch of monkeys.