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