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--- Oh oh oh..Can I reeaaaaally RANT here??? (http://www.gatchamania.net/threadid.php?threadid=724)
Posted by Yuki on 09-05-2006 at 04:28:
Oh oh oh..Can I reeaaaaally RANT here???
OK..OK.. I am getting kinda excited here.. but ahem.. ranting.. where should I begin????
Well.. ok.. let me start with the workplace... To those who have known me for a while, you'd probably recall that I am a female working in a kinda male-dominated world.
If you think that's fun.. think again! It might be better if my other teammates are younger guys. Unfortunately, they are mostly older guys, so I am always 'that little girl' in the team. Yes, regardless of the fact that I am 39 and have 3 children of my own.
OK.. I am not a technical, technical person. Has never been and will never be. My strength is dealing with the clients and problem solving. So, maybe I shouldn't get offensed when they voiced in the team meeting that they are 'skeptical' about the solution that I proposed. However, they went as far as querying whether I tested it or not. Darn! When did I started delivering a solution without testing it???? So, you'd think that they'd bite their tongue after everything worked? Not really, that happened at least another couple of times.
Now, if that isn't bad enough.. There is this guy here in my team. Old guy, a couple of years from retirement. You'd think that he'd cool down a bit and stop stepping on everybody's toes? Wrong again.. any piece of work that we can learn anything from, any work on newer technology, he'd grab it all for himself.
And then, of course, when I landed another client, they all wanted a piece of it, to the point that they want me to snatch work from the other guys who are already on that client.
Man.. not only am I expected to get scraps out of their plate.. I am expected to rob others to feed them? Forget it!
If they want to go snatch work from the other teams, they can do it themselves.. Just leave me out of it.
And I also hate working with guys who do not have children. Of course, they can be there working 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. Just don't expect me to do the same! I have young kids to tend to.. and if they don't have a life. It's their own problem.. not mine!
Phew!!! It's damn good to get it out of the system!!!
Thank you so much for letting me rant!
Yuki
Posted by Cep on 09-05-2006 at 13:51:
Well that rant certainly deserves some soothing aid from the squad.
Break out the rum and make merry me' lads 
__________________
Thanks Cep
Gatchamania.net Administrator 
Posted by Yuki on 09-05-2006 at 15:09:
Oh.. Cep darl.. did you say Rum??? I can surely do with some..
Posted by meridianday on 09-05-2006 at 16:53:
Over the last few years I've been making my way back into programming from analysis. But it's very strange to go back to. There's all this continually new stuff to learn - I got out of development before 32-bit windows really caught on. I'm always the oldest grunt on the team.... It's not a big learning advantage.
And I'm bugfixing on large, legacy systems, which isn't really helpful in learning how the languages work. We use this bizarre proprietary method of communicating with html that somebody thought up when the company was new to it, thinking that html was too hard and so it should all go through some other, dead-end useless method that we now spend all our time trying to circumvent.
So, last week I wrote my first two asp scripts from scratch. This week I'm teaching myself c# - like that's something I can learn in a week.
I need another career. I really do. Even if I can get back up with the technology, ageism is really going to start working against me in the next few years if it isn't already.
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Mallanox : "My mother was Irish and my father was an alien. I was an only child and I dress funny." Posted by meridianday on 09-05-2006 at 16:53:
And by my daughter's request
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Mallanox : "My mother was Irish and my father was an alien. I was an only child and I dress funny." Posted by Yuki on 09-05-2006 at 18:28:
Oh Meridian, those smiley's are sooooo cute...
And yes, Agism is something that is definitely working against us. I don't mind learning about new things.. but fact is, we are older and regarding learning the new languages and new technology, I really find that I am picking it up much slower than when I was 22. And I think I am getting a little bit too calm to work in this industry too.. I've lost that hyperness that excites you when you encounter new technology.
To be honest, I have lost all interest in reading anything about IT trends, technology etc etc.. IT is just not meaning anything to me anymore. I found it meaningless.. boring..
So, yes, it's high time for me to jet! I need new challenges that would make me feel energized to get up in the morning, a career that I can look forward to!
Sorry.. for all of you, young energized IT professionals out there, I know you love it and enjoy it. It's just not me, that's all!
Yuki
Posted by Firebird on 09-05-2006 at 18:51:
Sometimes a cool head is needed in IT. If something crashes and you get in a flap about it, it wont necessarily be fixed too fast however, in keeping a cool head you can usually solve the problem faster or at the very least think outside the box for alternative solutions.
I work in an IT orientated place and when it goes down for software updates people behave as though the world is ending!
Its not like paper cant do the job but all of a sudden skilled people forget the basics of their job.
Yuki & Meridian, Keep at it I am sure you will find that us tortoises are more affective than the hares 
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Like the Phoenix I rise from the fire. Beware all who try to tame me, you may get burned 
Posted by Yuki on 10-05-2006 at 00:04:
Firebird hon.. if it's just the speed of programming and learning new stuff, I can bear with.. but to the death of professionalis is what is bugging me..
One of our clients' support and database hosting is being take over by another company. And I have complete issue dealing with this complete farking a$$hole who seems to be leading their team.
#1) Their project charter was supposed to be delivered to our client 2 weeks ago, they got it yesterday.
#2) The client (and thus us) were expected to comment (and signoff) on it in 24 hours.
#3) Not to mention the absolute lack of sufficient allocation of time to testing in that freaking 'document', this a$$hole, dared to query the motivation on our team to follow the project timeline they set up, because our company is losing this business. Well, if the client is not renewing their contract with our company now, we only have approval to work with/for them till end of June. So, it's not even a matter of motivation or not. And if they are so motivated, why are they 2 weeks late with their first deliverable?
Fact is, somebody is already seeing that their own tardiness and inattention is going to be the death of the project and is taking early measures to make sure that the blame falls on somebody else..
What can I say? These a$$holes do exist and pity us who have to work with them.
Yuki
Posted by meridianday on 10-05-2006 at 06:18:
Not a good start. I trust that someone has written back to them and pointed out that since it's 2 weeks late, it'll take the same amount of time to comment. The client is clearly not getting good service already from the new people.
People will try to cover their arses. When it's an obvious failing like a late delivery on their part, then it's almost a duty to make sure their pants hang low.
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Mallanox : "My mother was Irish and my father was an alien. I was an only child and I dress funny." Posted by Yuki on 10-05-2006 at 14:18:
The client sure did make a point of it. Unfortunately, they still scrambled and made us rush to get our comments in.
Like what bloody farking way of working is this? Can't these a$$holes show at least a little bit of professional respect and regard? I guess they don't have any. And guess what? This is not the first time they did this. Last time, they decided to tell us on Thursday that they are coming from the States for whole-day meetings on Monday and Tuesday, and expected us to standby for the meetings, Monday at 8am. Like, what are we? Hookers waiting by the side of the road?
Sorry, I had my vacation booked on Monday and I had volunteer commitments at the girl's school, so sorry, I phoned my boss and told him to expect me not to be there. I don't think he liked it, but anyhow, I just am not prepared to be pushed around like a puppet by these big bad bullies.
Yuki
Posted by Yuki on 10-05-2006 at 14:21:
And yes, Meridian, you are right. The client is not getting good service from these new guys. But you know what it comes down to, it's those top guys who are golfing with one another, are happy with the deal they got. So, who really cares about those poor souls who really need to get the job done on time and get the employees paid???
Y.
Posted by Cep on 10-05-2006 at 15:32:
I'm a young IT bod 
Though in essence I have been doing this sort of stuff privately all of my life (pretty much).
I got my first proper IT full time job last year and as I suspected I know more about computers and software then anyone else in my department, or the business for that matter.
However I do like working in my IT dept, its a good team and we are all supportive of each other. However we do get dumped on a lot by other departments but we are very good at prooving who did and didnt do what and the time it was required etc etc
So we always fight out corner 
In the last year I have had to learn VBA in greater detail, VB.NET, C#.NET and my skills in PHP, CSS, XHTML, XML, have skyrocketted.
Its great.
However it was not always good to get up to go work, I have had my fair share of office jobs were I was expected, as a temp I might add, to develop databases and systems. Run Projects, Systems analysis etc all on my own whilst bickering between management and members of my own department kept stressing me out.
Till the point that I actually got the sack because I said I would not do my job and that of two lazy cows who did nothing but chat about soap operas and then claimed they were overworked and needed a temp.
More like they wanted their own PA.
But to hell with them
I have my decent job now and I love it, its a shame not all are as lucky
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Gatchamania.net Administrator
Posted by CricketBeautiful on 11-05-2006 at 15:33:
Hubby's been in the same programming job for years, mostly loving it. One of the lucky people who is mostly unaware of the politics going on. He just knuckles down to do what he's good at, mentors the other programmers as those programmers request, and backs away from any and all management positions. Been a few rough years, lots of changes in upper management, but the programming team is fun and management respects them, big time.
But that's all too rare in the industry. Several of his coworkers who left for greener and/or more stable pastures during the management changes (management changes are always scary, no matter how smooth), ended up returning.
Engineering student in 1990, there for four months, being told that it was her job to maintain the unit's PC. Uh, since when does a multi-billion dollar company not have the resources to do it right? And since when does an engineering student, there to learn about her own field, know enough about a PC to do it right? And continuity? The printer could emulate several other brands, and had to do so since each program was set up to us a different printer.
Hope you find something that gives you more satisfaction!
__________________
Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
- Viktor E. Frankl
Posted by Yuki on 11-05-2006 at 22:58:
Cep, I am so glad that you love your job now.. you know.. you know, it is really hard to really find a job that you love.
And Cricket, luckily my situation isn't as bad as that yet, but thanks, I will find something better.
Posted by Metaliant on 14-05-2006 at 12:38:
I know that this isn't about IT and I do apologise but there are only about between 10 - 5% of people at my workplace that I can not only trust to do stuff right but who I like as the rest are well excuse my language ladies but are wankers.
I would call them idiots but that's an insult to idoits.
I also admit that I don't know anything about DIY, which is what my store is a DIY store, but I have worked there for 7 years and hardly get any credit for the work I have donw. I know that I am a part timer and won't get any full timer because of my store manager but yet he complains that I and I quote "don't buck up my ideas" and "we give him shit jobs". I am the only disabled person in the store, as I am partially sighted and yet people will give me shit jobs and don't even thank me.
Here's an example. anybody who puts stock on the shopfloor must throw their rubbish away in the 2 skips in our yard. The green skip is for everything and the big blue one is for cardboard only. With cardboard, they must flatten the boxes down and thrown into the big blue skip.
The problem is that they won't flatten cardboard boxes down and keep all the plastic and stuff in the boxes and then thrown in the cardboard skip and also the green skip which fills it up and it smaller than the big blue skip and also will hide the rubbish round the back of the skips. My job, which isnj't even my job is to tidy the bottom of the yard and throw everybody's rubbish away properly and even climb intot he cardboard skip to flatten cardboard, throw plastic and stuff into the green skip or in ottos, which can be used to store rubbish temporily until the green skip is empty. And guess what, nobody thanks me but my supervisor and it's only recently that my store manager said thank you and that's just once, even though I have been doing the shit jobs like that for 7 years.
That is what I want to do to Homebase in Wolverhampton and the blind and stupid customers
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Tempory Frisker
Posted by meridianday on 14-05-2006 at 18:13:
I spent my first few years at work with the managing director as my direct manager. After the first 7 years or so, I firmly believed that no level of management ever said thank you and the only possible feedback was negative - I'd spend hours hiding to avoid my appraisals .
I was rather surprised when I eventually got moved to another line manager who actually believed in giving out encouragement and positive feedback. It took me years to get over the embarrassment
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Mallanox : "My mother was Irish and my father was an alien. I was an only child and I dress funny." Posted by Metaliant on 14-05-2006 at 18:40:
Before I worked for Homebase I worked for about 4 and half months at Index, a catalogue outlet for Littlewoods and no longer exists, which isn't surprising as the place I was at, the management wouldn't be able to plan to walk through a open doorway, never mind plan a pissup in a brewery and I do mean that.
I was hired as a filing clerk and they never had a filing system before hiring me, but I was told to do a job which had nothing to do with filing and the various filing systems they gave me, they kept changing them at least once or twice a month and even manage to change the filing systems 2 times in 3 days and they never had a filing system or a filing clerk when they kicked me out. Thank god, pity that it won't work for Homebase as well and funny enough, though I worked for a catalogue company, I am working technically for another as Homebase is now owned by Argos.
If that ain't irony, then I don't know what is.
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Eagle in Residence
Tempory Frisker
Posted by meridianday on 14-05-2006 at 21:50:
I thought Index bought Argos a few years back, before Littlewoods closed Index down. So you'd have gone full circle.
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Mallanox : "My mother was Irish and my father was an alien. I was an only child and I dress funny." Posted by Metaliant on 15-05-2006 at 18:31:
Nope, Littlewoods bought Index, Argos is part of GUS (General Universal Stores), which bought Homebase from somebody or other who couldn't give a shit about us, who bought us from Sainsburys, which was alright as I got 10 or 20% off my food at Sainsbury.
I hope that clears that up.
__________________
Eagle in Residence
Tempory Frisker
Posted by Yuki on 16-05-2006 at 15:53:
It is really quite interesting how most people nowadays does not seem even have 'Thank you' in their dictionaries anymore. And yes, most bosses do believe that since the company has paid you wages, they can make you do whatever s*** work they cared to load onto your plate as they felt like. So, I feel for you, Metaliant.
And yes, Meridian, I am currently in hiding from the Appraisal too. My boss, should give him the right credits, did give me a positive one, but it's just the embarassment of the entire talking about what I have done thingy and you know how you are supposed to sell yourself.. eeeep..
Anyhow, gotta go.. Have fun!..
Yuki
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