[wplug] Best mid-life career advice

Wed Sep 5 10:23:47 EDT 2007

  The diploma on my wife's physician's wall is in the "art of medicine" -
and they wonder why I trust my Amish vet just as much.

             "Bryan J Smith"                                               
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                                       Re: [wplug] Best mid-life career    
             09/02/2007 05:19          advice                              
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And that's *NO* different than any "technology."
Same deal with law, medicine, etc...

Construction workers (technicians) and land surveyors (engineering
technologists) know more about the latest groundstation equipment,
and to use them in the case of the land surveyor (although the construction
worker / technician may be far less precise in their usage),
than a civil engineer who even designed the bridge they are building.

Engineers do *NOT* study technology, they study applied physics
and microeconomics, things that are perpetual theory,
things that take 20 years of experience to eventually deduct.
I mean, the fundamentals of integral calculus become apparent
to anyone who spends 20 years doing financial, or building bridges.
That's what most formal education is about, is to hand down the
"common theory" in 3-5 years, instead of taking the 20 years to
learn it in reverse.

The idea is that if you have this 3-5 years of timeless foundation,
you will be able to more effectively absorb and apply technology.
It does *NOT* mean you "know more" than someone else.
In fact, it's quite the opposite - someone doing 5 years of
technology while someone was earning their engineering degree not
only "knows more" than the engineer, but the engineer *MUST*
take the time to *LEARN* from that technicial or engineering technologist.

I have a BS in EE, computer option, an ABET accredited BSECE.
I also worked full-time throughout college at an engineering firm.
And after twelve years of combined experience, once I started
consulting, even I had to go out and earn IT certifications to get
past HR and other filters to get work.

Some IT people belittle my worth because I have an engineering degree.
Some engineers belittle my worth because have my experience
has been in IT or engineering technology, let alone I sport 24 IT
certifications.  I'm just a guy who has worn many hats in many areas,
largely because I'm a consultant,
and largely because HR people don't seem to be "in-sync" with reality.

I don't know how many times I've gone for a clear software engineering
position and I get interviewed because I have a MCSE and RHCE,
and I the lead and I just have a massive laugh, partially in frustration,
because his own HOUR department just removed about 98% of the
qualified candidates for a position, and it's only a *RARE* "fool" like
myself who "knows how to play the game," and give HOUR departments
absolutely *NO*EXCUSE* not to get me an interview, even though I'm
probably not the most qualified candidate who sent in his/her
resume in the end.

But people like me are *NOT* to blame for this, and I tire of the
"belittling" I get for just realizing the "customer is always right."
I do my best to walk over to HR and other departments and try to
"educate" them on things like this, for their own benefit.

-- Bryan

P.S.  But if you haven't noticed, I *DO* have a "pet peeve" with
technicians and technologists *OUTSIDE* their knowledge.
This is especially true in the case of NASA. NASA designed the SRB
correctly, just like the EFT.  The culprit in both cases has been
EPA regulation, resulting in material changes which have
rendered the 100,000 part STS utterly *UNSAFE*. In fact,
until we go back to CFC-based insulation, our *ENTIRE* missile/
rocket arsenal *UNSAFE*.
But most people who get their information from TV and
other sources don't know this,
because it's only 2,000 screaming
NASA engineers versus 200,000,000 people fed by politicians and media
personnel who are the absolutely most removed from any remote
engineering education or experience.

--
Bryan J Smith - mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org
http://thebs413.blogspot.com
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

-----Original Message-----
From: Pat Barron <pat at tiderium.com>

Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 22:03:58
To:General user list <wplug at wplug.org>
Subject: Re: [wplug] Best mid-life career advice

On Sat, 1 Sep 2007, G.Pitman wrote:
> I know very few sys admins who actually have a formal education for their
> trade, my degree is in Psychology/Criminal Justice :)

Indeed - system administration isn't a discipline that you can effectively
learn in formal education.  For one thing, the field just changes too darn
fast.  Practical experience is the key.

--Pat.
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