| From my experience working for corporate | | | | was important enough to be given a |
| aliens, from what others have told me, and | | | | department. Then they would've had to pay me |
| from numerous articles on the internet, I | | | | the much higher salary of a department |
| have come to the conclusion that managers of | | | | head.All the managers had nice offices, but |
| many corporations show considerable | | | | the systems administrator's office was in the |
| disrespect to their technology workers. | | | | server room cluttered with old computers, |
| Throughout my career, I've had a several bad | | | | hard drives, cd-roms, and other assorted |
| experiences. This was one of my worst.A | | | | parts. This is a typical arrangement for |
| couple of years ago, I worked as a systems | | | | working systems administrators. There are |
| administrator for a private college. A new | | | | corporations that hire useless tech managers |
| School Director just started his | | | | that are only familiar with buzz words. In |
| administration. When a new School Director | | | | these cases, the managers would get the big |
| takes over, instead of doing anything job | | | | offices, and the ones that actually do the |
| related, usually the Director cosmetically | | | | work would get the server rooms.Being a |
| starts changing his or her environment. | | | | systems administrator, I could have easily |
| Office furniture gets transferred from one | | | | found ways to compromise corporate data. I |
| room to another, pictures are moved from one | | | | strongly believe that, no matter how abusive |
| wall to the adjacent wall, and a host of | | | | these corporations get, it is wrong to get |
| other labor intensive but irrelevant | | | | back at them by sabotaging their systems or |
| activities are scheduled. Some of these tasks | | | | corrupting their data. Corporations do have a |
| required furniture movers. To save money and | | | | fear of retaliation. When they fire the |
| get bigger bonuses, management, instead of | | | | systems administrator, they give no notice, |
| hiring the needed help, found it appropriate | | | | change all passwords and provide an immediate |
| to use their technology instructors. They did | | | | security escort off the premises.Technology |
| not ask for volunteers, nor did they offer | | | | instructors, programmers, and web designers |
| additional pay. They just outright ordered | | | | are also subject to all types of abuse. I've |
| them to become laborers for a day.Being a | | | | seen programmers who wrote some really |
| systems administrator, I believed I was | | | | creative code but whose names were never |
| immune from the furniture moving experience. | | | | mentioned in the company newsletter. Their |
| I soon found out differently.As a systems | | | | technologically illiterate managers were |
| administrator I took care of approximately | | | | highly praised instead.If you look to sites |
| 300 computers (with internet connectivity) in | | | | like rent-a-coder, you'll find that you can |
| the classrooms and offices. I assisted all | | | | get fancy websites for next to nothing. You |
| office personnel and instructors with their | | | | can even buy 10 articles for your site for as |
| computer, networking, or internet problems. I | | | | little as 50 dollars (5 dollars per article). |
| had two people under me. Whenever new | | | | That's because so many good designers, |
| computers came in and needed to be set up, | | | | writers, and programmers from countries like |
| either me or one of my assistants would | | | | India and Russia are willing to work for |
| physically unpack the computers and monitors | | | | relatively low pay. Since currently there is |
| and set them up for the user. If a computer | | | | an ample supply of creative people, this |
| had to be moved from one office and set up in | | | | abuse will continue.In America your chances |
| another, this was considered part of the job, | | | | of becoming management material improve |
| and I had no problem doing this.There was a | | | | greatly the less you learn. When I went to |
| classroom that had over twenty computers that | | | | college studying engineering, I met this man |
| were old and of very little use. This | | | | that never could understand the subject |
| classroom was going to be turned into a | | | | matter taught in class. When I ran into him |
| teachers' lounge and the computers were to be | | | | years later, he was a highly paid manager |
| stored in a closet upstairs. Eventually they | | | | working for the state. He told me that the |
| were to be donated to charity or thrown out. | | | | only technology he needed for his job was to |
| The Director of Education, who was my boss, | | | | "know who to call".There are two types of |
| ordered me and my assistants to move the | | | | degrees, ones in real fields like Biology, |
| computers upstairs. I told him that the | | | | Chemistry, Computers, Engineering, Web |
| computers were just junk and my skills were | | | | Design, etc. and the ones usually held by |
| not required for this undertaking nor was it | | | | management like the Masters in Business |
| a part of my job description. I pointed out | | | | Administration (MBA), or a Doctorate in |
| that I didn't spend all this time and effort | | | | History, Literature or Education. A lot of |
| learning practical skills to be treated as a | | | | times, someone working as a cashier for |
| furniture mover. I also told him that I | | | | McDonald's has more common sense than a |
| wouldn't ask my assistants to do it, because | | | | typical PhD in Education. On the other hand, |
| that's not part of their job either. He told | | | | people with more practical degrees actually |
| me that if I felt that way, I should look for | | | | possess real skills. If it weren't for people |
| another job. I said, "No, you fire | | | | that create and understand technology, we |
| me!"Tempers flared and to avoid getting | | | | would still be at the mercy of the Bishops of |
| physically violent, I left the building and | | | | the Inquisition, all holding Doctorates of |
| walked around the block several times. After | | | | Divinity.With some exceptions, corporations |
| I came back, they called me into the School | | | | generally tend to hire MBA's, PhD's in |
| Director's office. The School Director was | | | | Liberal Arts, or inept individuals with |
| the Director of Education's boss. He only | | | | technology degrees as management. They are |
| gave me a pep talk about "pitching in" but | | | | perfectly suited to the requirements of |
| didn't fire me. One of my assistants was | | | | corporate culture. They just have enough |
| ordered to move the computers, and he did. I | | | | brains to follow orders from corporate, but |
| avoided termination, simply because no one | | | | are not creative enough to challenge any |
| knew anything about what I was doing. My | | | | directives.I don't think that my views of |
| assistants were excellent workers, but were | | | | management are unique. You only have to look |
| relatively inexperienced.Later, they got a | | | | to the comic strip Dilbert and note the |
| new School Director. Eventually, management | | | | intelligence of the "boss" character. The |
| found a replacement for me and used a trumped | | | | strip wouldn't be as popular as it is, if it |
| up reason to fire me. Not long after that, | | | | did not satirize the truth.Let me warn the |
| the entire school chain was forced to close | | | | corporate alien management of today: Stop |
| by the federal government.The school had | | | | treating your technology people as "go-fors"! |
| several departments reporting to the School | | | | One day they'll just get fed up and quietly |
| Director. They were Management, Education, | | | | walk off the job. Without them your data |
| Business, and Sales departments. The systems | | | | driven, email centric cyber world cannot long |
| administrator didn't have a department. I was | | | | endure.George Lunt is someone who feels the |
| placed under the Education Department, even | | | | world is getting too corporate. His writings |
| though I had to service every other | | | | relate the individual's struggle with big |
| department as well as the School Director. It | | | | government and big corporations. |
| seems that corporate did not think technology | | | | |