NYCPHP Meetup

[Tom Melendez]

Guys, I have to be honest, this  "Webmaster test" and its associated
threads are a train wreck for me.  I can't stop reading them, although
admittedly I find them ridiculous.

I do believe in the saying, "if you don't have something nice to
say..." which is why I haven't commented thus far, but if this email
below is flamebait, then, well, you got me (and no, I'm not the type
to fall for Rick Rolls).

"Connected with the low social status of IT"
"I've got a PhD and I can't even manage a middle class existence?"
"I see two things that suck about careers in IT:  (1) the pay"

Are you kidding me?  Listen, I don't know you or your status, but this
is not the life I've lived through my career in technology or the
perception I have of the industry, nor is it that of my friends and
colleagues.  I mean no disrespect, but have you actually tried
looking?

To be fair, IT is a very general term, and I suspect you might be in
the more traditional definition of it, meaning corporate LAN support
and the like.  But for web engineers, this should not be the case,
despite the recession.  To be blunt, I have friends and colleagues
with multiple offers, from the "big guys".  The recruiters are calling
and messaging on the social networking sites daily.  So, to paint the
picture that this field is disintegrating, or not really a profession,
or whatever, to lurkers, newbies and veterans alike is just plain
wrong.

As for that 3 comment I flagged, well, I do agree with the 2nd point
you listed there.  That does suck.  But, then again, you see that in
every industry.

And for those yearning for a life of state licensing and unions,
please be careful what you wish for.  The same system that protects
many also keeps many others out of work.  Ask a Long Island K-12
teacher why they can't get a job even though they are at the top of
their field.  Ask any contractor that has to compete on the lowest
possible price because they are bound by law to do things a certain
way with certain tools with certain procedures.  They've commoditized
their industries and now can't differentiate themselves from others in
their field.  And, when was the last time you saw any real innovation
in those fields that made its way to us?  I'm still turning on the
lights the same way my parents did.

Tom


On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 2:32 PM,  <paul at devonianfarm.com> wrote:
> <rant>
>     This is a continuity reboot of the "Webmaster test" thread.
>
>     I'm a member of the ACM,  although I don't know why.  There's a lot of handwringing in "Communications of the ACM" about the state of the IT job markets...  Is it expanding or contracting?  Why aren't more women in IT?  It sounds like "blah blah blah" to me.
>
>     You hear a lot of talk about the threat of outsourcing to US IT jobs...  The way I see it,  outsourcing doesn't cause unemployment for IT workers but it does lower our pay and it does lower our social status -- which is the point people don't talk about.
>
>     I see two things that suck about careers in IT:  (1) the pay,  and (2) working for people who don't know what they hell they're doing.
>
>     I'm not going to complain about my current situation,  which is pretty much what I need at this point in my life,  but,  like a lot of people in IT,  I've worked at a string of crazy places.
>
>     IT jobs pay better than working for Wal*Mart,  but my brother-in-law,  who works as a foreman on a construction site,  gets paid better than me -- despite the fact that I've got twice the education and skills that seem to be rare and in demand...  (It's always seemed that way no matter which side of the table I've sit at in job interviews)  Construction workers have a union,  but IT people don't work.
>
>     Last summer I was a contractor at a company that had a great culture,  great clients and was working with interesting and fun technology.  I got offered a job that had a big 401K (makes wall street rich) and the potential for a large bonus,  but no health insurance.  I mean,  I've got a PhD and I can't even manage a middle class existence?
>
>     The work I do takes as much training,  skill and independent thought as being a doctor,  a lawyer or accountant -- but I don't get paid accordingly and I don't get the respect...  For a while I worked at a place that hosted a talk by the author of a book called "Leading Geeks" -- could anybody get away with writing a book about "Leading Niggers?"
>
>     Connected with the low social status of IT,  there's the whole problem of taking orders from people who don't know what's going on...  There are certainly some counterexamples...  Certainly some places that know what time it is,  but there's a reason why so many people feel like Dilbert.
>  </rant>
>
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