Amusing

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

What I find amusing is when you first start a job, and you meet people. There's always the one that mentions they were a "UNIX guy." Like that has street cred or something. Like I should respect him more because he worked on some UNIX system 20 years ago (which is true in most of the cases I've seen, which number 2). Every "UNIX guy" goes on and on about their time with UNIX and databases.

This actually turned into a rant, so I'm stopping the rant at that line. Just wondered what you guys think about the guy that always mentions their prior UNIX experience.

Comments

[annamaryse.livejournal.com]

No worse than the coworker working in the same phone room as me because she was too lame to get a real job, but thought she was so much better than the rest of us because she had her MCSE and CCNA -- neither of which had any bearing on the lame little software we supported, or meant anything to the even lamer users who called us for help.....

[anivair.livejournal.com]

Here's the trick: it's worth mentioning. because if you say you have a Microsoft certification that can mean you know stuff. it can also mean you have a pulse.

If you know nix (esspecially current nix, though even old UNIX platforms will do) it means that you actually know things. maybe not as much as you think you do, but enough to have gotten by in a nix environment. And if you did it 20 years ago it's even more impressive, because it means you had to do research, read books, and learn it yourself. Anymore, i can jump online and have any linux problem solved in an hour or so thanks to the brilliant open source community.

As to the social ramifications and whether they're saying that just because they wantot feel smart, i can't say, but I think that in most cases you'll find that you're not dealing with a moron.

there's a vast difference between understanding how a computer works and being able to use troubleshooting tools written by MS.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there are rare instances where an MCSE and a CCNA are good things. Usually though, it's some idiot that has no clue how to apply their knowledge in the real world.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything you put. However, this guy and the previous fellow do not have a clue about any type of hardware or software. That's the kind I'm referring to.

You're right about MCSE's being handed out like candy, and I really don't want to get into a big drawn out debate. I just find it amusing that some people like to mention these skills that were useful 20 years ago. This guy was a database guy, not a real *nix user.

I mean, this guy had no clue what a pcmcia card was, except that he needed one for his wifi access on his laptop.

[indigo-max.livejournal.com]

Anytime someone even mentions that they have some M$ cert, my eyes roll back in my head and I start speaking in tongues. I respect someone with UNIX or Mainframe background a lot more than some person who has learned nothing but how to double click an icon and open up an ap.

Max...

[kallell.livejournal.com]

just ask if it hurt when it was cut off

[tjernobyl.livejournal.com]

I had a guy that was trying to get a linux system up and running. I got quite excited, because I didn't get calls that required thinking very often. When I asked him what distro he was running, he didn't know. Well, it was worth a shot...

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Recently, a company I used to work for hired a kid that had every cert you could name. He lasted two whole weeks because he couldn't apply his knowledge to the work being done, which was building systems, curing viruses, etc et al.

Now, I will admit that the UNIX guys tend to research more and thus, learn AND apply, however, I must say that I don't care about someone's certs or past experience. If they know what they're doing, they know what they're doing. If they're an idiot, no amount of certs will ever help them get past the fact that they are an idiot.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

ROFL.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

See, linux is the flavor of the month (sorta). It's good he's opening up his mind, but at least know the name of the OS you plan to install.

[abstrak-tokatl.livejournal.com]

ya.. those unix guys are just like mac guys. fucken facists

[firewallender.livejournal.com]

I want to see your icons fight.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

OMG....that would so rock.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHA. That's most definitely true in some cases. Some just never shut up about this database thing they worked on 20 years ago that has no bearing on the present. At the same time though, they are very curious about technology. Maybe I can learn him something.

[samwize.livejournal.com]

See, I just get amused when I see people dis on MS certs. I worked damn hard for my MCSE and MCDBA, as well as have a ton of experience. What makes me laugh is that it's usually the linux/unix guys who are dissing... until they need their game machine fixed. A good windows geek is damn handy when you have to deal with clients.

So yeah, anyone with an unwaranted sense of superiority is annoying, and you do tend to find that proportion out of whack a little more (in my experience) in the unix guys.

[indigo-max.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. A lot of those older UNIX and Mainframe guys (and even those of us that started in the DOS and Win 3.1 world) never had certifications. They learned by doing and gained experience that way. I've seen both sides of the coin in the past 15 years of working with systems. The chump that goes and blows a wad of money to take a boot camp is more than likely going to fail then a guy who has knowledge already and the determination to learn. Experience and common sense trumps them all.

Max...

[abstrak-tokatl.livejournal.com]

i've mostly dealt with the newer unix facist who think they are the shit because they know how to use a command prompt. or you make a joke that "ya i know msce" whether you know it or not, but as a joke. and they start talking down to you. that one i love to do because it makes me laugh. the older ones that i have met, who don't feel useless, are usually okay. it's just the rest.

[jon787.livejournal.com]

I bet their "UNIX experience" was majoring in Business at a school that only had UNIX workstations in the computer labs.

[jecook]

Yep.

Except in the wacky world of venduh warrenty work, where you _need_ the damn chunk of paper so they can give you their chunk of paper which means that you can bill them for repairs covered under warrenty.

[jecook]

I have respect for those that can rebuild a corrupt SQL database by hand. that's scary shit.

By and large, If it's a computer and a user interface of some kind, I can work on it, with the exception of mainframes. Never worked on those. Not sure if I want to. The dinosaur tamers get my respect automagically.

I don't automatically dis the folks with certs until I see them in action. then I pass judgement.

[byh.livejournal.com]

Well, I am an UNIX guy.

I used to operate a SCO UNIX system with an INFORMIX database engine on it and I still remember how to use console ftp and telnet commands.

I rarely mention it in public though because it usually means people asking unix-related questions and I know that my knowlege sucks. So I keep it for CVs and job interviews :)

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Yeah, then there's the ones that rant for hours about how linux can do everything windows can (it can, kinda). Fascists of all sorts are still fascists.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

See, I got a buddy who's got most or all of the certs and he knows his shit. He used to tell me, "you can't mess anything up that I can't fix." Which was true, so, he's not the norm.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

haha, yeah.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's a good philosophy to have and I do try to follow that. Just kinda irks me when I mention I'm in IT and someone mentions that they did Unix db 20 some odd years ago.