What's your job and do you enjoy it? I'm sick of mine...

viz · April 2017

Sporky said:
Myranda said:
(as an aside, what's in a library if NOT information?)
I can think of two possibilities:

1) Books you have already read and can remember in their entirety.
2) A Library-of-Babel style setup where every book has the same number of pages and characters per page in every possible combination. The total informational content would thus be zero as it would not be possible to resolve uncertainty using said library.

I don't think any actual library meets either specification.

Library of Babel online is a work of (very odd but brilliant) art.

Sporky · April 2017

digitalscream said:

Nobody's wrong - every IT department is indeed worse then every other IT department.

And strangely this is also true for any selection of two IT departments, and in both directions.

I deal with quite a few university IT departments. They each have their own horrific rabbit-holes they're stuck down.

colourofsound · April 2017

@Myranda said:

I'm working in a University as an IT Tech ... (part time)

Oddly though our job sounds totally different and groovy - our Uni has a strangely segregated and separate pair of IT teams.

The biggest of the teams is ILS (Information and Library Services (as an aside, what's in a library if NOT information?) and they are the traditional "have you tried turning it off and on again?" bunch.

The small team is where I work - we are faculty tech support for the computing faculty, so we get to do all sorts of different stuff and learn new skills (the other week I was able to play with the hugely expensive Mobile Phone Forensics tools... and over summer I'm hopefully getting involved in the virtualisation of several computer labs).

So, are there any other Uni jobs that might be different which utilise the same sorts of skills?

** There is a third team - who apparently have scent-free-poop who can do no wrong - Networking Infrastructure... These are the same people who have put multiple Wireless Access Points in a single room and have them set up with multiple wireless VLANs ... AND EVERY SINGLE ONE IS ON THE SAME CHANNEL, but it's down to our laptops being at fault, not the shoddy set-up...

Also, our set-up with multiple teams has basically f***ed the teaching year for all the computing students... the faculty network/server was hacked last June - the uni management freaked out and ordered it turned off, but didn't authorise any kind of replacement (by way of ILS taking over) until October ... the people in ILS set-up Task-Manager so poorly that 40 PCs need to have the covers taken off, a drive unplugged and THEN run TM to install OS, before re-plugging the other drive. The Domain servers keep forgetting whole rooms full of PCs so "No Logon Servers are available..."

Our team has managed to screw up big-time too though - 40 cloned drives in 40 identical PCs, and then we boot them, we somehow have 40 different setups... some missing software, some not running some software, some not working at all... each one not working in slightly different ways. Oh the fun. And none of those 40 machines is able to retain a set time/date (we have changed CMOS battery)

OK, university IT departments are terrible... RUN ... RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN.

If you want to do sometihng new though - maybe try Open University, or similar home-study things that you can get some sort of recognisable certification or qualification, or do some sort of home project that you can detail somehow, so a prospective employer can see your MadSkillz(tm).

I've been stuck in a job with no prospects no hope of change, and it sucks bum-juice

Haha, do we work in the same place?

The biggest issue with my work place is the fact that our IT department is segregated. IT should be a holistic discipline seeing as each constituent part works so closely together.

Yeah, it's total nightmare. the worst thing about my place is the blame culture. no one is willing to be accountable, and no one is willing to own up and say they don't know how to do something.

fretmeister · April 2017

I think I can describe both my jobs in 1 description.

I stand in front of people and try to convince them what I'm showing them is true.

BigMonka · April 2017

I'm an electrical engineer, working as a consultant on railway projects. I started here as a graduate and have worked my way up through the system pretty well.

Over all I find it enjoyable and my team is great. Working in a project-based environment suits me well as every project is a little bit different, which keeps it interesting. I'm also finding that, even after 9 years, I'm still learning technical stuff all the time which is good for job satisfaction.

thomasross20 · April 2017

I design integrated circuits for different applications - right now it's brushless DC motor drivers for different car parts.
I do the analogue, little bit of digital, supervise layout, lab work, definition etc.
TO be honest it's good compared to other IC companies who thrash you to death. Good people and airy office makes it a nice place to work, and there are promotion aspects. Taxing on the brain so I'm never bored.

stimpsonslostson · April 2017

fretmeister said:

I think I can describe both my jobs in 1 description.

I stand in front of people and try to convince them what I'm showing them is true.

You're a magician and a flasher?

fretmeister · April 2017

stimpsonslostson said:

fretmeister said:

I think I can describe both my jobs in 1 description.

I stand in front of people and try to convince them what I'm showing them is true.

You're a magician and a flasher?

That's probably less objectionable than the truth.

stimpsonslostson · April 2017

fretmeister said:

stimpsonslostson said:

fretmeister said:

I think I can describe both my jobs in 1 description.

I stand in front of people and try to convince them what I'm showing them is true.

You're a magician and a flasher?

That's probably less objectionable than the truth.

You actually sell bibles?

fretmeister · April 2017

stimpsonslostson said:

fretmeister said:

stimpsonslostson said:

fretmeister said:

I think I can describe both my jobs in 1 description.

I stand in front of people and try to convince them what I'm showing them is true.

You're a magician and a flasher?

That's probably less objectionable than the truth.

You actually sell bibles?

Not that bad!

monquixote · April 2017

digitalscream said:

Myranda said:

OK, university IT departments are terrible... RUN ... RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN.

Here's the thing...and I believe I mentioned this back when you were first considering IT as a career...

Everybody is convinced that their IT department is the worst in existence. Then they move somewhere else, and realise that it's just as bad (if not worse). Then they move up a role or two and discover the depth of the shit, so they move somewhere else...

Nobody's wrong - every IT department is indeed worse then every other IT department. They're all shit beyond redemption, and I'm reasonably convinced that there's actually no way to fix them.

Yes, it's possible I've been doing this for far too long. What of it?

There is a reason for this which is that the whole concept of the "IT Department" as it exists in 99% of organisations fundamentally doesn't make sense.
The department tasked with delivering change and innovation is incentivised to crush change and innovation at all costs.

Roland · April 2017

For many years I managed projects. It started small, a sideline to software development. Over the years it grew into extensive international travel, before transmuting into sitting at home managing people remotely. I enjoyed project work because it brought a stream of new challenges, but eventually got bored of playing the same old corporate games.

My current occupation is spending my pension fund. I work from home, travel quite a bit, make a few guitars and play music. What's not to like?

Myranda · April 2017

Sporky said:

Myranda said:

(as an aside, what's in a library if NOT information?)

I can think of two possibilities:

1) Books you have already read and can remember in their entirety.
2) A Library-of-Babel style setup where every book has the same number of pages and characters per page in every possible combination. The total informational content would thus be zero as it would not be possible to resolve uncertainty using said library.

I don't think any actual library meets either specification.

I also wonder the same about ICT - Information and Communication Technology.

Don't all communications technologies facilitate the transmission of information? So other than information storage aren't all communications technologies also information technologies? so... IT might make more sense...

PolarityMan · April 2017

I'm a Hybrid Integration Service Architect for a piece of middleware that is used by a huge proportion of the financial services industry (amongst other industries).

It has it's plus side such as when redesign work that I did personally managed to get our software into every credit card authorisation at one of the 2 big credit card companies.

Or when I turned around a situation where we had someone effectively held hostage for 7 weeks in Australia to resolve some issues into landing a significant further contract.

On the down side it's still in the IT sector so the general level of horrendous-ness is par for the course, and the pay is only "ok" which given the potential stress levels it should prob be quite a bit higher.

I still have room for career progression though which is a bonus.

Sporky · April 2017

Myranda said:

Don't all communications technologies facilitate the transmission of information?

Depends how strict you are with your information theory, and how harshly you judge what other people say...

Bidley · April 2017

I work in a pharma factory. It's incredibly boring, soul-destroying and genuinely depressing. The company care less and less about the scum like me, there's talk of changing the shifts to 'continental' and the pressure is mounting in general.

The kicker is, it pays really really well, and the benefits are second to none. And any other job I have a chance of getting pays at least 40%.

So yeah I've basically sold my soul.

Budgie · April 2017

Crikey, there's a large number of IT people and boffins on here! I love the word 'boffin'.

stratman3142 · April 2017

I took early retirement at the end of last year after working for the same company for 40 years. That was doing various roles from design engineer, research project manager and ending up as tech. lead on development projects.

I was happiest when I was closely involved in design engineering (designing antennas) because I love mathematics as much as music.

So far I'm enjoying my retirement new role, which is following where my interests take me. I'm interested in the combination of maths and art/ music. So this currently involves learning more about music and recording techniques. Plus I'm learning Blender 3D.

I'm very happy to be away from the constraints of 'big company' excessive process, which sucked the life out of job interest.

fretmeister · April 2017

Forgot to say. I enjoy one of my jobs.

The other one has had a lot of the fun sucked out of it over the years.

gubble · April 2017

I am a Credit Manager for a meat wholesaler.

I've a team of credit controllers who chase the customers for overdue invoices. I've a small section of the sales ledger I look after but a lot of my time is spent managing the team, risk analysis and producing reports for the directors.

Any customers who go seriously overdue and require 'further action' end up on my desk. This can range from giving them a call as someone more senior right through to legal proceedings and enforcement.

I enjoy my job - I've worked in credit control since I left university in 2004 (studied a technical non finance based subject) and literally fell into it as I needed a job. I've worked for mainly medium sized family run business' which I enjoy compared to the huge multinational corporations which I have worked for and not enjoyed at all.

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