IT in Europe has had it

[OwlHoot]

Isn't it small businesses and independent contractors that lubricate the machinery of the big dinosaurs ?

Kill off the small businesses and the big ones will die their own death. I already have the impression that most big IT firms in Europe are propped up by government contracts but don't really produce anything very competitive.

EU mandarins detest contractors and the self-employed, because these people defy their neat bureaucratic "pyramid" model where everyone works for large companies who are easier to keep tabs on and if necessary threaten.

A contractor who approves of the EU in anything like its present form is like a parent keeping on a paedophile lodger who they know is grooming their 12 year old child, or worse ...

[norrahe]

Also, Tesco signed a deal the other day, but that was with a septic firm that outsources all it's global stuff to India.
.

and how long before they have to start employing contractors to rectify the mess that they originally created...

I'm currently looking forward in one of my projects to having to get another onshore developer to reqrite the mess that the offshore developers are currently creating and then having fun with the offshore system testers who pass everything only to find in UAT that they haven't tested it correctly.

Thankfully I'll be outta that in 3 weeks time.

[MPwannadecentincome]

EU mandarins detest contractors and the self-employed, because these people defy their neat bureaucratic "pyramid" model where everyone works for large companies who are easier to keep tabs on and if necessary threaten.

Looks like they prefer people to be on the dole then instead, that'll do the unemployed stats a lot of good.

[threaded]

The main problem I observe with IT in Europe is the preponderance of 'professional managers', i.e. people who don't know anything about the thing they're managing. At a certain level it is OK, but when you have a project manager on a coding project who knows nothing about coding, you know it's all going to end very badly.

[darmstadt]

The main problem I observe with IT in Europe is the preponderance of 'professional managers', i.e. people who don't know anything about the thing they're managing. At a certain level it is OK, but when you have a project manager on a coding project who knows nothing about coding, you know it's all going to end very badly.

WHS...

A manager who has performed some or similar tasks that you are doing can be a real help (unless they're one of those bastard hands-on managers)

[Mich the Tester]

The main problem I observe with IT in Europe is the preponderance of 'professional managers', i.e. people who don't know anything about the thing they're managing. At a certain level it is OK, but when you have a project manager on a coding project who knows nothing about coding, you know it's all going to end very badly.

Yes, and the more the budgets are squeezed, the more of these seem to appear. I wouldn't pretend to be able to manage a team of mechanical engineers, because i've never done any mechanical engineering, so I wouldn't be able to understand what they're doing or saying. Why then should software developers have to work under some guy who's never written a line of code in his life?

[oracleslave]

Why then should software developers have to work under some guy who's never written a line of code in his life?

Are software developers the best people managers?

[threaded]

Are software developers the best people managers?

Don't need to be 'best' just need to be ever so slightly 'less sucky'.

HTH

threaded in "managing by walking about' mode.

[oracleslave]

Don't need to be 'best' just need to be ever so slightly 'less sucky'.

HTH

threaded in "managing by walking about' mode.

I would take someone with people skills even though they may not have used a particular technology before, to manage a project every time over someone that has coded a bit before so no that doesn't help.

[Mich the Tester]

Are software developers the best people managers?

Some are very bad managers, some are very good. I've met software developers who do a very good job of leading their team. I'm a tester (maybe a slightly different strain of Nerdus Geekificus) and have managed up to 25 people on test projects. I believe people enjoy working for me, because they've told me so and they've told senior management at my clients. I also ensure the job gets done. I don't know if that makes me a good manager, but it doesn't make me a bad one.