Reply to: Work outside IT

[xoggoth]

Yeh. I actually really like programming, it is almost as satisfying as digging big holes in the garden.

Much better than anything that involves working with horrible people anyway. One should do summit "worthwhile" like saving starving kids or something. Then the kids that didn't starve grow up and produce umpteen more kids and it all starts again. Bollox to the lot of 'em.

Regards,
Mr Compassionate

[tay]

When I was made redundant from my aerospace job (about '03) I enrolled on one of those 6 week IT courses.

Worst mistake I ever made.

It was ok for the 1st few years but the big support companies like EDS & HP have gobbled up the small ones and spread themselves like the borg, I can’t take much more of their ‘yankee doodle’ bulltulip, I want to support stuff and fix things not be part of your family/team/cult.

It would drive me mad.... so you have my sympathy.

[gingerjedi]

During the last contractor market depression (about '03) I considered enrolling on one of those 6 week plumbing courses.

When I was made redundant from my aerospace job (about '03) I enrolled on one of those 6 week IT courses.

Worst mistake I ever made.

It was ok for the 1st few years but the big support companies like EDS & HP have gobbled up the small ones and spread themselves like the borg, I can’t take much more of their ‘yankee doodle’ bulltulip, I want to support stuff and fix things not be part of your family/team/cult.

[Bagpuss]

Looks like he designed a portable safe. They do suffer from a major design flaw, nothing to do with the gubbins. Anything you can lift, carry and and smach to tulip later in the comfort of your own home is not going to deter theives.

They could alway print Dunlop on the side

[TheBigYinJames]

You sold women in bikinis for £79.99?
I'll take three...

Looks like he designed a portable safe. They do suffer from a major design flaw, nothing to do with the gubbins. Anything you can lift, carry and and smach to tulip later in the comfort of your own home is not going to deter theives.

[NickFitz]

This however, is similar, but a good deal neater.

http://www.yelpie.com/

You sold women in bikinis for £79.99?

I'll take three...

[NickFitz]

I don't know, it won't let me see the image...

Try again - I couldn't see it either, then it finally appeared on about the fifth attempt

[Pinto]

There was a time when one of my "things" was sold in Argos... for £79.99, rapidly reducing to £39.99 to get rid of them all

I must admit it really was a piece of crapola, but it was mine own...

Was it one of these?

[HairyArsedBloke]

When the economy finally collapses and we are forced into a more agrarian society much beloved of the lefties, I’d like to be a brewer. I would also consider baker, but that involves working nights. Something in the middle of the supply chain from farmer to consumer.

[NickFitz]

For years I worked on intranet apps, and people couldn't even see what i'd done. But now i can point to various bits and bobs on the public internet and say "I did that"*

*generally I also add 'I didn't pick the colour scheme, that was some oiky designer from art school**'

** dontya just hate being asked for your 'portfolio' by agents who don't know the difference between a graphics designer and a web applications designer

Yup, I always make it absolutely clear that I am not a designer, I'm a developer - or "coder" as some like to call it for some reason.

And it is very annoying when agents do that - the implication is that you're going to be judged on somebody else's work (i.e. the designer's) because they sure as hell aren't going to read the HTML, CSS or JS - and they can't see what's on the back end at all

One just has to hope that the client is sufficiently clued up - I once landed a nice gig as an "XSLT Consultant" (for which they'd interviewed loads of people over a couple of months) simply because I was able to make it clear that I understood the differences between declarative and procedural programming languages - how could they have established that from a "portfolio"?

[oracleslave]

Have you not heard of the Rampant Rabbit?

I think that's a different type of hardwear Baggy.

[Bagpuss]

Have you not heard of the Rampant Rabbit?

[TheBigYinJames]

There was a time when one of my "things" was sold in Argos... for £79.99, rapidly reducing to £39.99 to get rid of them all

Go on, put us out of our misery. I might even have one!

[TheBigYinJames]

That's why I like working on public-facing web apps - there's a reasonable chance that you end up with something that has a "cool factor", and that your non-geek mates can understand (and maybe even be impressed by).

For years I worked on intranet apps, and people couldn't even see what i'd done. But now i can point to various bits and bobs on the public internet and say "I did that"*

*generally I also add 'I didn't pick the colour scheme, that was some oiky designer from art school**'

** dontya just hate being asked for your 'portfolio' by agents who don't know the difference between a graphics designer and a web applications designer

[NickFitz]

IT is generally easy and pays really well for the effort put in. I think where it suffers is that it is generally inconsequential and badly understood (and thus not respected) by people generally. There's not very much 'honourable' about writing a credit card transaction system for a shop that sells treadmills, or a data access layer for an application which processes MoT renewals. Being paid well is a great compensation but it doesn't really help with this 'worthiness gap'

That's why I like working on public-facing web apps - there's a reasonable chance that you end up with something that has a "cool factor", and that your non-geek mates can understand (and maybe even be impressed by).

Denise van Outen was singing the praises of one of my things on the Capital breakfast show the other month... then again, that's her job