I'm going to let you in on a secret...
If you're in IT nothing you do really matters. At least not in the sense of doing anything the world cares about. I've said it before, IT exists to service
people who actually create something.
It's a classic service industry job no matter what your title and that
puts you right up there with the plumbers and auto mechanics.
Plumbers don't get their names on monuments. Neither do cab drivers, doormen or IT
pros. The world becomes more
inconvenient without them but in the end they only exist to make someone else's
life easier.
I suppose that's why there's so many certifications for the
profession now, assuming you could call it a profession.
It's not good enough to just be competent, now we need a governing
authority to validate us. A governing
authority that's built a multi-billion dollar business out of our own
insecurities. As though we needed
another reason to doubt our own abilities.
Even worse, validation from these governing authorities is
suspect. They exist less for the
advancement of knowledge than their own revenue. Why for instance would I need to not only
carry a certification for Network knowledge but also specific product
knowledge?
If I've been building networks for 20 years who cares if I
have a Network + , A+ or ITIL anyway? Those
are supposed to be vendor neutral.
Surprise! network + was primarily developed by Cisco and A+ was written
by hardware manufactures like HP, Dell and IBM.
ITIL was written by
masochists.
I've actually been disqualified for entry level tech jobs
with (at the time) a decade of experience because I didn't have the right
certification. Never mind that on top of
the experience I had an electronics
engineering degree, actually know what to do with a logic probe and was trained
to troubleshoot PC's at board level.
Because I refuse to spend $110 on an exam to see if I know
which pin of a Molex connector is ground I can be denied a job I could do in my
sleep because somebody thinks managing IT is all about the right certification.
If I've been working with networking and computer equipment for most of my career
why is it important what brand names were on the faceplates?
I know why and so do you, the people you're talking to don't
have a clue about the department they're managing or worse don't really care.
What's really sad is that your choice to work in the field
means you have an 8 in 10 chance for having to work for them.
Here's a newsflash for the uninitiated, In the IT space
everybody has to play by the same rules or nothing works.
Do you really believe that the whole world runs exclusively
on Cisco, Juniper, HP or 3Com equipment?
Then it might surprise you to know that two brand agnostic
organizations (IEEE, IETF) make the
Internet and networking in general possible. They could care less whose brand is on your
router so long as it plays by the rules they make.
It's a perfect example of how useless vendor certifications
are and an equally perfect indicator of a broken IT organization should it
subscribe to another useless certification, the ITIL.
If you see a job description that demands a specific brand
certification or worse the dreaded "familiar with ITIL methodology" you're
likely dealing with a hiring manager that doesn't understand their own
department. A hallmark of an ITIL
organization shows itself when ability is defined only by plug and play solutions
no matter how ineffective. They're not
looking for ability, they're looking for the status quo even if it's
dysfunctional.
I'm not against education or training, I'm just against the
commoditization of it. I'm also against
lazy management practices based on buzzwords and fads. Effective IT managers know at least something
about the nuts and bolts of their department and can lead from experience.
Ineffective IT managers are just waiting
around till the next seminar on their way to their next job. They rule by edicts lifted straight out of
the framework of the dogma they've embraced and then slam the door on your way
out.
Good managers lead from experience not seminars. You have to know what's right to know when
things have really gone wrong. You also
have to give a damn or you're useless.
That can be a tall order considering how neutered the IT
function has become in the last decade.
IT budgets are strictly administered (usually by someone other than IT) and organizations don't have the
latitude they once did.
If you're unlucky enough to be working in an organization
that's fully embraced the ITIL construct you can expect to be constantly
swimming upstream. ITIL demands that
technology and technical concerns take a back seat to the every whim of the
user base.
Yes, IT is a service profession but constant pandering leads
to sloppy IT organizations and eventually to another tenet of ITIL,
workarounds. In other words, band-aids
and bailing wire take precedence over actually fixing the problem.
Everyone demands zero downtime but refuses to do what it
takes to achieve it. IT professionals
are expected to be on-call 24/7 for a wage that doesn't compensate them for
that commitment. Lest we forget the hardware to make it happen.
You're a fool if you accept that but most fools in IT
do.
If you care about what you do you then you don't mind the
crazy hours but I can count on one hand the number of people I've met who were
doing more than going through the motions.
Here's another newsflash, they weren't working 9 to 5.
We've come full circle.
The cold hard reality is that IT is a service profession and doesn't
lend itself to rigid schedules and the meaningless busywork.
So what can you look forward to if you happen to land that
"dream?" IT job. Maybe you're
the new System Admin or IT manager. Good
for you. Now that the pleasantries are
over it's time to figure out if you'll be around long enough to wear out your
office chair.
Let's play a little point/counterpoint framed in the context
of questions asked in the average IT interview...
Why do you want to work in IT?
Point
|
Counterpoint
|
I love technology and I want to help people make the best use of it.
|
Technology makes the world go round and it's better than flipping
burgers for a living. But not by much.
|
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Point
|
Counterpoint
|
Hopefully in a management position so I can help further business
goals using IT.
|
Probably in management because the last 2 IT managers quit and I
managed to not get fired. However, I
know I'll be burned out because nobody is willing to do what it takes so I'll
just bide my time. I'll probably
attend a lot of seminars looking for a way to make my life easier and do the
bare minimum. I'll hire lots of people
with letters behind their names to make the department look good till I move
on to my next job.
|
What is IT's function?
Point
|
Counterpoint
|
To further the organization's goals with the services I provide.
|
To keep the executive suite from complaining too much and maintaining
the status quo because nobody really gives a damn what I do so long as they
get their email and can play Farmville on their IPAD.
|
What's the value of IT certification?
Point
|
Counterpoint
|
It shows a commitment to continuous improvement and allows me to keep
up to date with the latest technology.
|
Nobody cares about my MBA so I better have some more letters behind
my name if I want to keep my job.
|
What's more important, Technology or customer service?
Point
|
Counterpoint
|
IT is a service industry, our users, customers or whatever the label,
come first. They need to feel
confident in the resources we provide
|
IT IS a service industry and you shouldn't be in it unless you
understand that. However, if you don't
have the resources to do your job properly and decisions are made based on
price instead of value (there's a difference) then you're never going to
achieve customer satisfaction. That is
unless they're satisfied with you constantly saying "I'm sorry"
|
Ok, so the counterpoint looks like someone you wouldn't want
within 100 miles of an IT department.
Here's the rub, the Point column is largely BS and everyone in the field
knows it. It looks good on glossy
brochures but you can't get blood from a stone.
Most IT departments are lucky to get new patch cables let
alone the resources they need to meet user demands.
The "Counterpoint" side is sadly closer to reality than anyone
wants to admit to. It's why I personally
prefer contract work because I'd rather not waste time spinning my wheels and
going nowhere while the rest of the department struggles for legitimacy that
the field just can't provide.
IT can be rewarding but not when it's treated like the
accounting department. Truth be told if
technology was forced to evolve in an average IT department, we'd still be
using Motorola Dynatacs and dialing up to AOL for email on 28.8K modems.
The problem with corporate IT management methodologies is
that you have a lot of people sitting around just waiting for something to
happen. When you are busy it's generally
because one of the band-aids fell off the server and the CEO is screaming about
how he can't get to EBay because of it.
Lets' face it, we're the plumbers, electricians and
architects of technology. We know what
to do and how to do it (Hopefully?) The best measure of success is that things
work when they need to and that's the only goal that matters.
We do what we do
because we care about our life's work. (Well,
at least first before we get jaded.) Thing is, that much ambition doesn't get you too far in
most corporate IT departments. Too much
passion scares corporate types which means you either get shown the door or you
just trudge on and abandon your soul.
Where a real tradesman is looked upon as the authority in
their profession, IT is frequently seen as a necessary evil. It's hard if not impossible to meet the
demands of an organization when your hands are tied by corporate dogma.
It's not that I'd advocate IT having no oversight but when
you have to pass every decision through the corporate litmus test, the result is going to
be mediocre at best.
Thus we have the "standard of mediocrity" ultimately
resulting in IT pros clutching at straws to appear relevant. That feeds my earlier assertion of how IT
certifications prey on your own insecurities.
If you really care about the field and really want to effect change then
you have to be brave enough to not just suffer in silence or load your resume
up with worthless certifications.
The best known figures in technology didn't hide behind their
cubicles hoping for someday. Bill Gates
of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple
would have never survived in the average IT department. Hell, they couldn't even stand college where
at least there was beer and girls!
So why do we expect people who thrive on technology to
function like accountants? Would it be
reasonable to expect an auto mechanic to fix your car in your bathroom?
Well, I'm sorry to tell you, that's the reality of IT more
often than not. Unless you can make a go
of it with the feast or famine cycle of consulting (as in independent not Robert Half) you're stuck with it.
Of course, If you're more into the management track or the cubicle
lifestyle I suppose it can work for you but I can guarantee I won't at least
not as your employee.
