Desktop

The words "nail" and "head" come to mind... The owner of the company ROUTINELY asks IT to show him how to work some new gadget he just bought... last week, I had to show him how to import a CD to his iPod. And this same mindset filters down from him to all of upper management, while the PEONs get quoted to from the HR handbook that they're not allowed to install anything on a work computer not purchased by the company. This is not at all helped by one of my fellows in IT who will go setup or troubleshoot home computers of anyone in management on his own time, and not expect any special reimbursement for his efforts. Since there's only 6 of us, this does tend to set the precedent.

In general though, I like the people I work with, and the people I work for. The pay is decent and it's a small enough company that my job duties are diverse enough not to bore the **** outta me... so I stay... that and the fact that I'm 5 months pregnant and there's not a chance in **** of me getting another job at this point.

Regular cuddles and sleep whenever you can (both of you) is my recommendation.
Do you get maternity leave in the US ?

Could be worse. I'm not sure how, but it could be.

On the other hand, you do have a few things going for you. At least there appears to be some recognition (and documentation) that IT folks should only be working on company business, even if that policy is routinely unenforced. Your eager beaver co-worker is, of course, just engaging in rather transparent brown nosing, and your best bet is to let it happen. Contrary to popular wisdom, most people who do that find it backfires...he's just being used, and when his usefulness expires he'll be thrown aside. You say you like your colleagues and the work, which is 90% of the battle won right there.

Most importantly, you're about to welcome a new addition...I'm happy for you. Work is just a place you go between your life. It's not real life, that's what happens when you go home.

More good news...in case you were unaware, your company is required by law to hold your position open until you return from maternity leave. They're not required to give you back the same position, but they are required to "rehire" you. You'll have more options than you can imagine at that point.

Best of luck.

for your congratulations on my impending arrival. :)

Unfortunately, as I found out shortly after being hired that I was pregnant, I will not have been employed by this company the requisite year to qualify for FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) or any type of pay or protected status while on medical leave after the birth.

I'm relatively certain that my manager will "work with me" to a certain extent as he seems pleased with my work, but I'll still have to come back to work fairly quickly after the birth. Hopefully, I'll be able to work some of that from home.

My wife was trained as a commercial artist. When our kids came along she made the decision to stay home...she didn't go to college to get her MRS, but she wanted to be the one to raise our children and not depend on any form of day care, a decision I fully supported.

She was able to find clients who were comfortable with her working from home so she could do two jobs at once. She did that for about eight years, until our youngest was in school.

She then purchased a small business with a partner, which she ran for about five years before selling it. After that she worked in a variety of sales and management jobs until retiring last year due to my job relocation.

That was a generation ago. Today, and in your business, it's so much easier to telecommute. Not to mention, as a remote IT worker your potential client base is the entire world...you need not be limited by geography. If outsourcing and offshoring works for corporations, then why shouldn't the same thing (home-sourcing?) work in reverse for you? Bring at least one job back from the far East. A lot of people do it.

There are a lot of disadvantages to working from home, don't get me wrong. You have to be an exquisitely good time manager, much better than in an office. The kids will always demand something just when you need to be working. Your friends and neighbors won't understand that you're not available at a moment's notice for a drop in coffee klatch. Put a padlock on the refrigerator...it'll call your name, and before you know it you'll have gained about a thousand pounds. It's also mighty lonely since you no longer have the social interactions you get in an office environment. In short, it's definitely not for everyone.

However, in your case you don't have too much of a choice and you certainly are highly motivated. I believe you'll do just fine.

Walk into the advertising department of any large corporation and you will be walking into a Mac shop. Creative, artistic people refuse to waste even one brain cell learning how to be a software mechanic. They expect their computers to be as easy to take for granted as their microwave ovens.

A PC user has to be a tinkerer at heart to avoid having their computer drive them crazy. True artists are not tinkerers, they expect their tools to simply work.

In addition, Macs simply rule the graphics world. You might as well get used to them, their numbers are growing.

I did a consulting engagement for a Fortune 100 company that was THE leader in its industry. It had a PC-only policy everywhere but the advertising department. They found that they couldn't hire the best people if they expected them to use Windows.

This reply is one reason IS is not highly thought of, in a lot of organizations. Thousands of companies peacefully coexist with Windows/OS X. Even the WSJ says the latest IMAC is the best desktop machine they have ever tested. MAC's cost less to support, they are virus and malware free, and most importantly, they encourage the creative juices, you need in a Marketing Department. That far outweighs the hygiene needs of the IT shop, which doesn't want to stretch their thinking too much.

Lots of good advice in this discussion. I'll add this: I support (I know, it's ridiculous)a large 50/50 PC-Mac network. Switching to Macs will eliminate your PC problems...and introduce you to Mac problems. You've got a lot to learn, sir, and I would start with the text "Mac OSX Helpline" (a big yellow book). It's a great text that get you rockin' with Macs. As regards protocols, networking, shares, etc.,OSX is very similar to XP; you'll get the hang of it. Good luck.

You just stated the fear of all Wintel based IT professionals.
Single mindedness is like blinders on a horse - they need to
be guided in order for them to function properly.