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Signs #3 and #10 are definite IT "killers," most especially since companies don't pay for the over/extra time for work. However, for those of us for whom a job is part of their living experience, there are a myriad of other careers in which one can be happy and productive.
after hours work, than that is your failing to negotiate better employment terms. If I am on call, then I get on call compensation, if I have to come in, then I get my Call-back compensation.
And if said company does not pay for such activities, then I hope you have negotiated better salary and salary progression to make up for it. If not then you certainly have been taken for a sucker. IT is one of these growing fields with pretty good demand, if your current company isn't willing to pay it, then there are others that will.
And if said company does not pay for such activities, then I hope you have negotiated better salary and salary progression to make up for it. If not then you certainly have been taken for a sucker. IT is one of these growing fields with pretty good demand, if your current company isn't willing to pay it, then there are others that will.
In case you didn't notice, we aren't exactly in a booming job market. If you decide to play hardball with an employer who balks at paying you for being on-call because you are salary-based or whatever, there are many other experienced job seekers out there would be happy to fill your job.
Points #3 and #10.... IT staff are people too and deserve "time off" as much as people in other departments. Typically if efficiency and appropriate management can be enable by IT then the same practices can be employed to manage IT systems, meaning, there won't always be a need to work out of 9-5 or turn off the mobile. You manage IT systems rather than IT systems managing you.
Besides if your getting calls 24/7 on the cell/mobile phone, in my experience it's usually non IT people asking the same question over and over again in different contexts, meaning they just aren't bothered with learning new things themselves. If you think about it, technology drives us all, meaning EVERYONE has to continue learning (I'm not just talking about computer systems either in this case). If anyone falls behind, they get left behind.
Besides if your getting calls 24/7 on the cell/mobile phone, in my experience it's usually non IT people asking the same question over and over again in different contexts, meaning they just aren't bothered with learning new things themselves. If you think about it, technology drives us all, meaning EVERYONE has to continue learning (I'm not just talking about computer systems either in this case). If anyone falls behind, they get left behind.
then you work for the military or are working for a bad company.
Nah, I put 20 years in the military and was treated better than I have been at some places in IT over the last 20 years!
The corporation refers to you as a human resource. To be used- abused- and thrown in the refuse prior to pension payout.
Unless I'm being paid for it (oncall or my contract stipulates it), my work blackberry goes off at 17:30 and doesn't come on again until 09:00.
When I'm on support, my phone goes off about 45 minutes before my shift ends, and comes back on 45 minutes AFTER my shift ends... and I finish what is in my queue for the day and leave... if I get a call after that, then that's probably urgent...
The reallity is that if you are a consultant, not a staffer; and you rely on those consulting dollars, you get into a situation where if you won't work after hours and weekends... or interrupt your plans... well - just ask Gary Kildall about that...
but history pretty much admits that Gary was not a good businessman; so that killed CP/M as much as anything.
Working overtime is often a sign of bad project management, or your company trying to squeeze the most out of every penny it's investing on you.
Either way, that's a sure sign you'd be better off offering your IT skills at some more reasonable, and human place.
Besides, the overuse of your staff (not just IT) is counterproductive for the company.
Either way, that's a sure sign you'd be better off offering your IT skills at some more reasonable, and human place.
Besides, the overuse of your staff (not just IT) is counterproductive for the company.
You are so right with points #3 and #10. The additional insult is that you are not paid any more than those whose jobs are M-F 9-5. So being "on-call" for 168 hours a week, instead of 40 hours, for the same pay; since when is that being fairly compensated?
If you don't like #s 3 & 10, or maybe I should say you are subjected to them and it is causing problems for you, then perhaps you are working for the wrong company or are in the wrong market.
For example, look at the government (U.S. in this case). Forced OT without pay is not allowed. Even salaried employees are compensated for OT 1-4-1 via comp time. Even as a contractor, I am not expected to work more than 40 hours per week. The government understands that people are not very productive for more than 8 hours a day, so there is no point in working folks into the ground.
For example, look at the government (U.S. in this case). Forced OT without pay is not allowed. Even salaried employees are compensated for OT 1-4-1 via comp time. Even as a contractor, I am not expected to work more than 40 hours per week. The government understands that people are not very productive for more than 8 hours a day, so there is no point in working folks into the ground.
When you get your operating money at the point of a gun (read: taxes) then you can afford to be very liberal with your policies. Keep in mind that a lot of government is unionized and that often flows to non-union positions. Private companies don't always have that luxury. But it is something that is negotiable when you get hired.
If that is the case, you of course have the integrity to not use anything government builds or provides with that "stolen" money (highways, bridges, police, fire, etc.) since doing so would make you the recipient of stolen goods.
Managers in government understand that the longer people work, the less effective they become. Most managers in business think that the harder they work their people, the better the profit margin.
Managers in government understand that the longer people work, the less effective they become. Most managers in business think that the harder they work their people, the better the profit margin.
Miss the birth of my first child? You've got to be kidding. No job is worth missing that, not even being a Doctor.
They also make more than triple that of the average "I.T.-guy" and oft depend on the work of the "I.T.-guy."
And they are paid much more than the average IT guy, and have a higher standing/recognition in society as well.
Heh. Oddly enough in 1999 I was schedule to go over to China one month before my first kid's birth. On the night before I was to leave my wife went into premature labor.
So I activated the "emergency option" and my boss went instead. Turned out to be a good thing in another regard; it was right at the time we blew up that Chinese factory in... I think it was Serbia... and the Chinese people were not quite totally friendly. He was far better at politics than I was at the time, so it worked out.
But we had a procedure in place, because we all knew what was important.
Failure to do so would be inexcusable, and I would not ask someone to ever miss anything of serious personal importance just so a system could go online on a certain timeline. That implies a failure of scheduling, of planning, and of having redundant resources when needed. That implies a company that trades doing it right for burning people like Yule Logs.
Wow. Doormats indeed.
So I activated the "emergency option" and my boss went instead. Turned out to be a good thing in another regard; it was right at the time we blew up that Chinese factory in... I think it was Serbia... and the Chinese people were not quite totally friendly. He was far better at politics than I was at the time, so it worked out.
But we had a procedure in place, because we all knew what was important.
Failure to do so would be inexcusable, and I would not ask someone to ever miss anything of serious personal importance just so a system could go online on a certain timeline. That implies a failure of scheduling, of planning, and of having redundant resources when needed. That implies a company that trades doing it right for burning people like Yule Logs.
Wow. Doormats indeed.
You have to be in the receiving end. The business people dictate, they fix your budget, IT is always a no-profit center, IT chief has to beg for bugetery allocation and would listen to all the crap that business dictates. As they say a customer is always right even an Idea that is good as proposed by technology is turned down by the short-sigted business people. How long this could go on ... an IT career is good until 10years and best in 5 years only.
Remember that without the business side generating revenue, there would be no IT. No matter how wonderful a particular solution is, if it's not clear to the business how it improves the bottom line or makes it easier for them to achieve their strategic objectives, there will NOT be acceptance. Anyone who drives any kind of initiative (not only IT) must make the business case for it. If you propose a solution that gets rejected, look in the mirror before blaming "short-sighted" business people.
Let's just sell all of the computers, and cancel/turn-off the IP Phones and Internet replacing respectively with typewriters, POTS lines, and the U.S. Mail.
That will save the business side all of that unnecessary "IT money" and we'll only have a slight lapse in productivity.
After all, businesses worked just fine in the early 90's before any the series of tubes, now known as the "Internets", were fired up.
That will save the business side all of that unnecessary "IT money" and we'll only have a slight lapse in productivity.
After all, businesses worked just fine in the early 90's before any the series of tubes, now known as the "Internets", were fired up.
Businesses where greatly hampered before distributed computing (LANs, NetWare, WordPerfect, Lotus 123, dBase, etc.) came to the forefront in the late 80s, which preceded the Internet. Once the PC expansion was combined with the Internet, that was all it took for the boom of the 1990s to take place. Even post-bust of the early 2000s, companies are still able to be much more profitable by leveraging computing resources with Internet communications. Things are so automated now.
Sure, there needs to be business justifications, but make no mistake, without IT, the business world would be far less expansive than it is now with far fewer jobs and opportunity for profit-which mean everything, like taxes, pension plans, retirement plans and the engine of the economy:spending.
Sure, there needs to be business justifications, but make no mistake, without IT, the business world would be far less expansive than it is now with far fewer jobs and opportunity for profit-which mean everything, like taxes, pension plans, retirement plans and the engine of the economy:spending.
" IT is always a no-profit center,"
This is so not true. Without IT, business would be far less profitable and with the advent of the web, are directly linked to a companies profit center. Even companies that don't sell anything and only have an 'informational' web presence uses IT infrastructure for payroll, timekeeping, accounting...the list goes on where one person or a handful do the work of dozens or even hundreds before-because of IT! That's some powerful stuff. There is the direct relationship with the explosion in IT in the 90s and the profitability of companies. And now, with smartphones and *pads, we are seeing another explosion of technology that is being enabled by, you guessed it: IT.
This is so not true. Without IT, business would be far less profitable and with the advent of the web, are directly linked to a companies profit center. Even companies that don't sell anything and only have an 'informational' web presence uses IT infrastructure for payroll, timekeeping, accounting...the list goes on where one person or a handful do the work of dozens or even hundreds before-because of IT! That's some powerful stuff. There is the direct relationship with the explosion in IT in the 90s and the profitability of companies. And now, with smartphones and *pads, we are seeing another explosion of technology that is being enabled by, you guessed it: IT.
I'm still respected at what I do. The only point I don't meet is point 2.
You shouldn't do the on-call 24/7 rubbish without some serious extra compensation. The company phone should be turned off at night except by prior arrangement.
Multitasking to me just means doing things badly because you're swapping around between them so I avoid that.
I don't like gadgetry like i-pads and the like (toys).
And yet, with all of that, I'm still good at what I do and I like it.
You shouldn't do the on-call 24/7 rubbish without some serious extra compensation. The company phone should be turned off at night except by prior arrangement.
Multitasking to me just means doing things badly because you're swapping around between them so I avoid that.
I don't like gadgetry like i-pads and the like (toys).
And yet, with all of that, I'm still good at what I do and I like it.
What do you do that you can turn off a company phone, which usually implies off hours availability?
As for multitasking, some people can juggle several things at a time with minimal suffering of quality. You seem to not be able to do that. But nonetheless, it is a requirement of most sysadmin/sysengineer positions. It isn't all that bad. I run a script (and automation is the key to working smart and multitasking) and while it's doing its thing, I do something else.
If you only work at the GUI, then you will have problems for sure.
As for multitasking, some people can juggle several things at a time with minimal suffering of quality. You seem to not be able to do that. But nonetheless, it is a requirement of most sysadmin/sysengineer positions. It isn't all that bad. I run a script (and automation is the key to working smart and multitasking) and while it's doing its thing, I do something else.
If you only work at the GUI, then you will have problems for sure.
I have to admit I very much disagree with the phone on 24/7. The only job roles where this is a requirement is sysadmin, tier 3 support or the PM after 10 years in the industry I know very few people that will activity answer their phone after 6pm (besides you need time to work on the 10 other random side dev projects that everyone always seems to have on the go 
).
). 
If you work in Healthcare IT at any level, then you know that you're going to be getting calls from support for issues that they can't fix, and you go in knowing that you need to answer those calls. If you don't want to do that, then you don't belong in Healthcare IT.
or utilities, or some military units, or many facilities with 24-hour operations, or communications, or ...
It should not be necessary for everyone to be on-call all the time. That's just insanity.
And when the same idiot user pages at 3AM to say he forgot his password (and refuses to use the automated reset tools provided), his department should be charged back a minimum of 4 hours staff time. With a $500 doofus surcharge.
And when the same idiot user pages at 3AM to say he forgot his password (and refuses to use the automated reset tools provided), his department should be charged back a minimum of 4 hours staff time. With a $500 doofus surcharge.
Not everyone should be on call all the time, as long as someone is. Most places with sufficient staff use a rotation list.
When you are small, with less than 20 people, but you support more than 50 systems, not every person can be an expert on all systems. There are some medical systems that can take a long time to become an expert on the back end processes. We try to have a person who is an assigned back up, but realistically, that doesn't happen. I'm still the expert on the system.
I'm not officially "on call" 24 x 7, because I can mark myself as completely unavailable for short periods of time, but it is understood that I'm available otherwise. People who aren't, don't last long, because you can't tell someone on the operating table that you can't finish their surgery because the IT person won't answer a call, or tell the person who's on the table getting their radiation treatment that we're just going to guess on how much radiation they're getting because the IT person is not available to bring the system back up.
Yes, you can call the vendor, but the IT person can usually get the system back up and running in a few minutes, where a vendor might not even call back for 2 hours or more.
I'm not officially "on call" 24 x 7, because I can mark myself as completely unavailable for short periods of time, but it is understood that I'm available otherwise. People who aren't, don't last long, because you can't tell someone on the operating table that you can't finish their surgery because the IT person won't answer a call, or tell the person who's on the table getting their radiation treatment that we're just going to guess on how much radiation they're getting because the IT person is not available to bring the system back up.
Yes, you can call the vendor, but the IT person can usually get the system back up and running in a few minutes, where a vendor might not even call back for 2 hours or more.
I think it's really sad that a high tech industry such as IT treats its workers worse than some businesses treat their manual workers. In health care there are also round-the-clock duties but nurses and doctors have shifts and don't have to work 60 hours per week to keep their job.
With this attitude IT industry is loosing many skilful workers just because they can't balance their professional and private life.
When I look at the problem from a broader perspective I conclude that the real problem is this: business owners put money, technology and other things in the center of their business. This prevails in modern capitalism around the world. Instead the integral well-being of workers, and people in general, should be in the center of a business.
With this attitude IT industry is loosing many skilful workers just because they can't balance their professional and private life.
When I look at the problem from a broader perspective I conclude that the real problem is this: business owners put money, technology and other things in the center of their business. This prevails in modern capitalism around the world. Instead the integral well-being of workers, and people in general, should be in the center of a business.
I donno where you have been working. The industry is not nearly as bad as this guy makes it look like. Most fellas i know would quit their jobs if they were called to work on weekends twice in a row. And NO, we dont work at nights! by GOD! thats really really rare. and the culture of pulling 50-55 hr weeks is O.V.E.R. most ppl wont work more than 40. Most companies dont ecpect their employees to work more than 40 ! if sometimes we Do have to work nights or weekends; we get paid triple! no one treats us like **** (excepts clients of course .. but thats ok .. cos we overcharge the irritating ones (lol just kidding))
Bureaucracy in IT companies makes an IT professional
1) to hate people
2) lose patience
3) get frustrated
According to me 90% of the people opt for IT because they can make money and play with technology.
1) You have dreams of climbing the corporate ladder
Financial growth working in few companies depends upon the promotions, If one does not get promoted no hike in salary. This happens in most of the IT service companies
2) Hate Technology
In healthcare industry adapting to new technology is far from reach. so even if the individual wants to learn and use the latest technology it isn't possible due to business and management constraints.
1) to hate people
2) lose patience
3) get frustrated
According to me 90% of the people opt for IT because they can make money and play with technology.
1) You have dreams of climbing the corporate ladder
Financial growth working in few companies depends upon the promotions, If one does not get promoted no hike in salary. This happens in most of the IT service companies
2) Hate Technology
In healthcare industry adapting to new technology is far from reach. so even if the individual wants to learn and use the latest technology it isn't possible due to business and management constraints.
Emergencies will occur but they should be the exception and not the rule. If that is not the case then something is wrong with the management and so there should be times when you can switch off the work phone and get on with some life outside of work. I have two children and I was present at the births of both with no problems the first well I was sufficiently far enough down the totem pole that I could be excused from the project for a couple of weeks with enough notice and how much more notice than 9 months do you need. By the time of my second, well I was the project manager. I simply delegated enough responsibility to other members of my team so that the project could continue in my absence for the 2 weeks I was taking off and because I am careful in training and mentoring my staff I'm confident in leaving them to continue in my absence.
I hope your kidding about leaving family events for work. No company will be as loyal to you as your family. With that in mind, get your priorities straight.
After years of freelance work there was no demarcation point between work and the rest of my life. I have gotten support calls while at Sea World with my family. Now that I work for someone else I said no more. They own me for 50+ hrs a week. It can wait.
With over two decades in IT I found that you must be a human Gumby able to withstand constant change not only open to it but embrace being a cheerleader for it.
This list pretty much covers any job you might take in life. In other words, if you are immature, lack responsibility and in general have a Peter Pan fantasy, stay in school for the rest of your life.
While there is certainly some truth to each of these points, there is a good deal of hyperbole present as well. I've been in the IT industry for going on three decades and I can tell you that while there certainly are employers out there who will demand your time 24/7/265, there are far more who understand the concept of sustainability and work/life balance, and those who place unrealistic demands on their employees suffer high turnover and poor productivity, even in these dark times.
If you are clear up front about your expectations of your employer and they are honest enough to be up front with you, there is no need to sacrifice family, friends, and hope of ever seeing the sun. Let them know when they have expectations that are unrealistic (in a professional way) and if they are worth working for they will work with you to find the a good balance, if not you don't want to work for them anyway and no matter how hard you work they won't appreciate your sacrifice (and worse, they will come to expect it and in the end no matter how hard you work you'll be the one who suffers for it).
And, as a previous poster stated, some late hours and some call are to be expected, but I've never met a soul who would not be there for the birth of a child for a job (and I hope that I never do). Do your job well and things will work well - cut corners and let things go untended and you will end up in the office 24/7.
If you are clear up front about your expectations of your employer and they are honest enough to be up front with you, there is no need to sacrifice family, friends, and hope of ever seeing the sun. Let them know when they have expectations that are unrealistic (in a professional way) and if they are worth working for they will work with you to find the a good balance, if not you don't want to work for them anyway and no matter how hard you work they won't appreciate your sacrifice (and worse, they will come to expect it and in the end no matter how hard you work you'll be the one who suffers for it).
And, as a previous poster stated, some late hours and some call are to be expected, but I've never met a soul who would not be there for the birth of a child for a job (and I hope that I never do). Do your job well and things will work well - cut corners and let things go untended and you will end up in the office 24/7.
"If you are clear up front about your expectations of your employer and they are honest enough to be up front with you, there is no need to sacrifice family, friends, and hope of ever seeing the sun."
Sure, "if" they are honest, "if" they know what they are talking about, "if" they are accurate in their assumption that nothing will change. Then "if" you are explicit about what you expect, they will pick someone else for that job.
How many people working in IT are doing the job that they thought that they were hired to do, with fixed hours and well-defined responsibilities? The only ones I've met in the past 20 years have seen their jobs outsourced.
How many found out afterwards that the job and/or the supervisor and/or the working conditions changed beyond recognition within a few months of starting a new job?
Doing your job well, even excellently, has never been, and will never be, a guarantee of a job, let alone a 9-5, 5 day/week. . That's true of every industry and every job, but especially in the highly-churned fields of technology.
Sure, "if" they are honest, "if" they know what they are talking about, "if" they are accurate in their assumption that nothing will change. Then "if" you are explicit about what you expect, they will pick someone else for that job.
How many people working in IT are doing the job that they thought that they were hired to do, with fixed hours and well-defined responsibilities? The only ones I've met in the past 20 years have seen their jobs outsourced.
How many found out afterwards that the job and/or the supervisor and/or the working conditions changed beyond recognition within a few months of starting a new job?
Doing your job well, even excellently, has never been, and will never be, a guarantee of a job, let alone a 9-5, 5 day/week. . That's true of every industry and every job, but especially in the highly-churned fields of technology.
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