IT Anecdotes
I thought I'd share some anecdotes from my once-upon-a-time full-time career in IT.
A job at Gallaudet University: This was a simple computer technician job. Install computers in offices and classrooms, update software, stuff like that. I was talking with this particular coworker one time, someone who joined my team recently, and I had trouble conveying the word "compatible" to him. (We both used sign language.) So I wrote it on a chalk board that happened to be nearby. He then seemed to know what I was saying - but! He erased part of the word and turned it into "compitable" and scolded me for my sloppy spelling.
He was not joking. He didn't last very long, either.
One job was a freelance gig I got through a former project manager I worked for at a day job. The client was the project manager's friend. So I complete the project and she's happy with it, then one day she says she needs my social security number for tax purposes. I'm not going to send that over unencrypted email, so I tell her, "alright, let me get that to you some other way." She kind of balked at that, but I politely refused to send this kind of information over unencrypted email, as absolutely everyone should. Right after that I got pretty sick and was totally offline for a while. When I started feeling like I could face the world again, after several days, I checked my email and there was a message from the client with "I NEED IT NOW!!!" in the subject line. I think the body of the message was in all caps, too - a veritable fountain of email screaming.
At my very first full-time IT job, the CEO used his trash folder to store old mail messages. So I was trained to NEVER empty his trash when working on his computer and troubleshooting, and to not suggested that he change this behavior.
That's it, nothing else about that. He was a super-nice guy, just had a weird quirk with mail.
An anecdote about my own idiocy: The very last full-time IT job I had, which ended in 2007, was with the Library of Congress. I started that job still living with a crazy, abusive spouse. I think within the first week of starting that job, I left my abusive partner for good. While that was one of the best things I ever did for myself, she had messed me up pretty badly in the head, so at the end of my year's probation, I balked at taking care of some debt in order to prove to them that I can handle finances responsibly. Which had absolutely *nothing* to do with the job. I had gotten a satisfactory review from my supervisor. I already had access to enough systems to do some real damage if I was an actual bad guy. My thinking was that the job wasn't firm and I didn't want to get into any agreements with anyone unless I knew I had gotten the job for real. Of course now I know I should have just played along, and if I hadn't kept the job anyway, I would have to just continue to ignore the debt. So that's partly on me.
But it's still partly on them. I've had people tell me they were messing around and/or wanted to give the job to someone else. My own father said this, and he has worked for the government most of his life. He's a very down-to-earth guy, and it was the first thing he thought of. That alone really left an impression on me, and to this day I have not stopped wondering what was really going on at the Library.
At one job the politics was over the top. This was at an office within a large area university, and the IT department was just me and a few others. The top IT guy - super nice guy - ending up leaving because someone in some other department could not stand how much money he was making. He was actually getting a reasonable amount for someone with his skill set and position - nothing exorbitant. He had other - better - offers, but he wanted to be *here*. But someone else made trouble for him and got him laid off. He debated whether to sue them - and he probably would have won - but at that point he didn't want the job any more. Can't blame him. In any case, he ended up working for Microsoft for truckloads more money, so good for him.
But then The Troublemakers went after the project manager. (The same one I mentioned earlier.) So she ended up leaving and her replacement was a *real* jerk. I mean, a total Mr. Midlife Crisis OMG I'm So Important jerk. He told my black coworker that if he didn't get certain things done a certain way he could get "blackballed." He told me - a deaf employee - that I seem to have trouble understanding things. Gee, no shit, Sherlock.
But what ended the job for me wasn't him, but my own supervisor, who literally up until the last minute was nice to me. What it comes down to is because no one made sure to communicate effectively with me, I did *not* understand a particular deadline. So when my supervisor walked up to me and asked for a finished product, I looked at her blankly and said, "... what do you mean?" She got mad, totally ignored me the rest of the day, and the next day when I got to work, there was a letter on my desk telling me I was an IT nobody for the next two weeks, then I was gone. I just walked out without looking back.
But I'm taking credit for being one of the original technical architects of LangNet.org, and THE original database designer.
There was one gig I was applying for as a freelancer, where, after the initial interview, the interviewer emailed me to ask me to play along and pretend to be part of the team so that they could accomplish something. I don't remember what. That was so creepy and scammy-sounding that I naturally declined. They insisted, saying that I needed to demonstrate my willingness to be a part of the team. At that point, I stopped replying, because if they wanted me to be an actual part of the team, they would have hired me.
A job at Gallaudet University: This was a simple computer technician job. Install computers in offices and classrooms, update software, stuff like that. I was talking with this particular coworker one time, someone who joined my team recently, and I had trouble conveying the word "compatible" to him. (We both used sign language.) So I wrote it on a chalk board that happened to be nearby. He then seemed to know what I was saying - but! He erased part of the word and turned it into "compitable" and scolded me for my sloppy spelling.
He was not joking. He didn't last very long, either.
Another job also at Gallaudet: My boss had a reputation, and he was frequently used by departments as an axe-man. His actual job was head of the publishing department, but he often took on other campus jobs in addition. One such job was as head of the IT department where I worked.
One day he and I were chatting in his office, and he mentioned that he thought my wife (ex, now) would be a good fit for a financial position. I disagreed in a way that I thought - and still think - was informal and jovial but perfectly polite. He didn't say much to that... until later, when he marched into my office, closed the door, sat down in front of me, and informed me that he had never been so professionally insulted in his life.
I almost had to grab my jaw to keep it from hitting the floor. In my flabbergasted little brain was swirling the thought, "whoa, crazy alert!" But of course one does not say that to one's boss. He said if I didn't understand this he would have my resignation. (Sure, like I would go along with this bit of mental instability.) So I offered the most humble apology I could manage - which could not honestly be completely sincere since I didn't do anything wrong - along with a statement that I didn't mean anything by it - which was, in fact, sincere. It seemed to placate him enough to take axing my job off the table.
But that job lasted less than a year anyway. One day he comes in and informs me my position is being closed. That was a lot of job stress, but hey, it wasn't fun working for this guy anyway.
One job was a freelance gig I got through a former project manager I worked for at a day job. The client was the project manager's friend. So I complete the project and she's happy with it, then one day she says she needs my social security number for tax purposes. I'm not going to send that over unencrypted email, so I tell her, "alright, let me get that to you some other way." She kind of balked at that, but I politely refused to send this kind of information over unencrypted email, as absolutely everyone should. Right after that I got pretty sick and was totally offline for a while. When I started feeling like I could face the world again, after several days, I checked my email and there was a message from the client with "I NEED IT NOW!!!" in the subject line. I think the body of the message was in all caps, too - a veritable fountain of email screaming.
That really freaked me out, and I was inclined to ignore this person, but I got the gig from someone I didn't want to stop liking me, so I calmly explained I've been sick and offline and that she'll get it as soon as I can get to a fax machine. I then hobbled out to do that.
I don't know... when I don't hear from someone who last told me they would do something, I don't assume they're blowing me off. Maybe something happened to that person, so I try to inquire if they're alright. Even if they are totally blowing me off, I'm not sure completely losing it is the way to go.
Sadly, the project manager didn't seem to want to talk to me any more after that, but I guess anyone would - and should! - listen to a friend first before listening to someone they merely used to work with. Still, it's sad when this kind of thing happens.
At my very first full-time IT job, the CEO used his trash folder to store old mail messages. So I was trained to NEVER empty his trash when working on his computer and troubleshooting, and to not suggested that he change this behavior.
That's it, nothing else about that. He was a super-nice guy, just had a weird quirk with mail.
An anecdote about my own idiocy: The very last full-time IT job I had, which ended in 2007, was with the Library of Congress. I started that job still living with a crazy, abusive spouse. I think within the first week of starting that job, I left my abusive partner for good. While that was one of the best things I ever did for myself, she had messed me up pretty badly in the head, so at the end of my year's probation, I balked at taking care of some debt in order to prove to them that I can handle finances responsibly. Which had absolutely *nothing* to do with the job. I had gotten a satisfactory review from my supervisor. I already had access to enough systems to do some real damage if I was an actual bad guy. My thinking was that the job wasn't firm and I didn't want to get into any agreements with anyone unless I knew I had gotten the job for real. Of course now I know I should have just played along, and if I hadn't kept the job anyway, I would have to just continue to ignore the debt. So that's partly on me.
But it's still partly on them. I've had people tell me they were messing around and/or wanted to give the job to someone else. My own father said this, and he has worked for the government most of his life. He's a very down-to-earth guy, and it was the first thing he thought of. That alone really left an impression on me, and to this day I have not stopped wondering what was really going on at the Library.
At one job the politics was over the top. This was at an office within a large area university, and the IT department was just me and a few others. The top IT guy - super nice guy - ending up leaving because someone in some other department could not stand how much money he was making. He was actually getting a reasonable amount for someone with his skill set and position - nothing exorbitant. He had other - better - offers, but he wanted to be *here*. But someone else made trouble for him and got him laid off. He debated whether to sue them - and he probably would have won - but at that point he didn't want the job any more. Can't blame him. In any case, he ended up working for Microsoft for truckloads more money, so good for him.
But then The Troublemakers went after the project manager. (The same one I mentioned earlier.) So she ended up leaving and her replacement was a *real* jerk. I mean, a total Mr. Midlife Crisis OMG I'm So Important jerk. He told my black coworker that if he didn't get certain things done a certain way he could get "blackballed." He told me - a deaf employee - that I seem to have trouble understanding things. Gee, no shit, Sherlock.
But what ended the job for me wasn't him, but my own supervisor, who literally up until the last minute was nice to me. What it comes down to is because no one made sure to communicate effectively with me, I did *not* understand a particular deadline. So when my supervisor walked up to me and asked for a finished product, I looked at her blankly and said, "... what do you mean?" She got mad, totally ignored me the rest of the day, and the next day when I got to work, there was a letter on my desk telling me I was an IT nobody for the next two weeks, then I was gone. I just walked out without looking back.
But I'm taking credit for being one of the original technical architects of LangNet.org, and THE original database designer.
There was one gig I was applying for as a freelancer, where, after the initial interview, the interviewer emailed me to ask me to play along and pretend to be part of the team so that they could accomplish something. I don't remember what. That was so creepy and scammy-sounding that I naturally declined. They insisted, saying that I needed to demonstrate my willingness to be a part of the team. At that point, I stopped replying, because if they wanted me to be an actual part of the team, they would have hired me.
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