Are you in IT? If so how long? Do old people Suck?

[1Strive]

Poll and comments.

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The guy I work with has been in "IT" for 21 years and he and a doctor were saying how great it is to have spent that much time in computers and how he must know more than anyone about them. Also how lucky I am to have his knowledge past on and how he probally won't be able to retire because the "kids" won't be able to learn all that he knows and get the job done.

I tried to smile and nod my head while swallowing my tounge.

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The truth is 18-35 is the age the IT industry is built on. Anyone that has over 10 years experience should be force to call the overage professional experience, due to the fact that networks, hardware, and software as we know them today have only been around for that long.
Who cares if you rember DOS or IBM Personal Systems 2 486 CPU? Coax for networking?
I find these guys saying, follow me and when you are my age you can be me.
I am sorry, I already make more than you and know more about what is revalent today in IT. That doesn't mean I am a better team player or professional but it does mean I am better with the tech. And it is okay for us young guys to be better at it. You old guys have everything else, customer service, experince, the list goes on.

Just asking for people to give credit where credit is due and to stop acting like there is such a thing as 21 years experience in Information Technology when IT ain't been around (as it is now being utilized) for more than about 10-15.

Ring In on the Poll if you have worked in IT.

1STRIVE
7 years and in a Higher Tax bracket than you.

 

[1Strive]

Old people suck.

If you vote 15+ that is automatic in voting "Old People Suck".

 

[Steevo]

Enough time.


I could really make more, but money isn't everything, and you apparently have not learned that. So stuff your higher tax bracket



And we still have a couple I-O terminals with Twinax. So nah.

 

[btarunr]

How long has Bill Gates been in the IT

It took him over 15 years to become......The wealthiest man??

Age has absolutely nothing to do with a person's credibility with the IT. My 52 yr old uncle working for the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd., can spot and replace burnt diodes from a TYAN motherboard, he plays CS:S with me and listens to SomaFM.com

 

[1Strive]

Not all old people suck. Just some.

As with any sweeping generalization, I make, I say it with humor and mean it as such. I am not really an age-ist. But I really can't stand Fat people. JK

And I live in a town where I make 10K less than my other 2 job offers in the bigger city 5 hours away. I live in this town because my wife of 6 years loves it here this is where my family and friends are and my son can go to a good school.

If you have a family and you aren't making all the $ you can (with-in reason) to give them the things they deserve, education and health care, security. Than maybe you aren't trying hard enough.

I know that my job is around 40 hours per week and every waking moment after that is spent with my wife and son or other loved ones. So No, Money isn't everyting. People are, to me. But money sure does help in certian ways.

 

[Namslas90]

1STRIVE
7 years and in a Higher Tax bracket than you.

I doubt that!!...LOL

I can Not Work, and make more than you - working a 70 hour week.

If you vote 15+ that is automatic in voting "Old People Suck".

If it wasn't for us "Old People", you would not have an IT career...
Remember..Old People got the whole thing started up and running!
If we didn't, than you would be the "Old People" you speak of in 10 years.
(and you will be anyways...LOL)

OLD PEOPLE ROCK

 

[Rob!]

I was going to go to school for network engineering, and from self-taught knowledge I started a little IT "business" working on peoples' computers. I then realized IT sucks ass and changed schools and my major. I still build computers for people but I'm no longer a "tech."

The IT industry as a whole moves so damn fast and seems like it would be near impossible to keep up. Old knowledge is cool, yes, but how often do you use technology older than 5 years? Rarely. And chances are it's cheaper to buy new than to fix something that old.

So you guys that do IT, do you work in, say, a large business doing general tech stuff, or work for something like a computer repair shop? I've always considered both to be kinda IT.

 

[TUngsten]

sorry but I must add:

Nice ass Rob!

on topic:
you couldn't pay me 2x what I make now to work in IT. All the IT guys where I work are useless, old and young.

 

[1Strive]

The Old guys? Yes, thank you for building the Tech. We'll take it form here.

I was going to go to school for network engineering, and from self-taught knowledge I started a little IT "business" working on peoples' computers. I then realized IT sucks ass and changed schools and my major. I still build computers for people but I'm no longer a "tech."

The IT industry as a whole moves so damn fast and seems like it would be near impossible to keep up. Old knowledge is cool, yes, but how often do you use technology older than 5 years? Rarely. And chances are it's cheaper to buy new than to fix something that old.

So you guys that do IT, do you work in, say, a large business doing general tech stuff, or work for something like a computer repair shop? I've always considered both to be kinda IT.

I just got out of the USAF worked in communications. (e-mail, networking, microsoft servers.)

Now I deal with the following on a daily basis.
Windows Server 2003, MS Active Directory, DNS, MS Clustering, SAN, NAS, Cisco Routers and swtiches, Hardware IBM and Dell, VPN into Remote Sites for remote Admin, Work from Home, write scripts. I am certifed by Microsoft, Dell, FujiFilm, and the FDA. I do IT work for my company for Hospitals Digital Imaging systems.

And yes it does pay well, and yes I do make more than the 50 year old I work with but he doen't know that. And I do like and respect him. I just don't like being talked down to. If 1/8 of the men in this country had done 1/2 as much as any Vet then we would be in 100% better shape than we are in now.

I may have to leave in a minute and drive my company car to the gas station to fill up (file that with the expense report.) Oh and I need to call the travel agency to book my flight to NY next month.

No I don't make more than everyone here.

 

[Kreij]

I was going to go to school for network engineering, and from self-taught knowledge I started a little IT "business" working on peoples' computers. I then realized IT sucks ass and changed schools and my major. I still build computers for people but I'm no longer a "tech."

Did the IT part suck, or was it dealing with the "other people"?

The IT industry as a whole moves so damn fast and seems like it would be near impossible to keep up. Old knowledge is cool, yes, but how often do you use technology older than 5 years? Rarely. And chances are it's cheaper to buy new than to fix something that old.

Not true. Besides the basic LAN network, I also have to make sure things like an old CNC mill running Windows 3.1 can communicate with the servers. Or a proprietary machine that only runs Win98, etc. etc. Many times it is cheaper to upgrade, but it is not always possible.

So you guys that do IT, do you work in, say, a large business doing general tech stuff, or work for something like a computer repair shop? I've always considered both to be kinda IT.

I have worked for a fortune 5 company, a small mom & pop computer repair store and currently for a small family owned business. I will take the small business over the other two anyday. I could make more money at a large company in a city somewhere, but I have done that before and I find that having the president of the company calling me by name, instead of just being a number on some bean counter's ledger, to be much more satisfying.

Add in the fact that I am the "entire" IT department and make all the IT based decisions and purchases, it just doesn't get any better.

 

[Disparia]

Who cares if you rember DOS or IBM Personal Systems 2 486 CPU? Coax for networking?

T connectors and terminators!

Had an 8+1 10BaseT/10Base2 hub in my early days of LAN gaming. Really sucked if you were late to the party and had to share with the 4 others also on that single port

 

[Silverel]

3-5 years I suppose for me. I have a pretty general IT job for a 100+ employee company. There's a half dozen of us, we all run around and answer questions, fix little things. It's simple work. There's a graveyard upstairs that holds 50+ p2-p4 boxes, mostly dell. It's fun working with proprietary parts! Best part is switching out ATX connectors to match up to the dell boards so the PSU pumps enough amps for the video cards running cad. Server maintenance is a routine, nothing fancy. Everyone insists on using IE, though we all recommend and use Firefox. Working with this many people everyday makes you realize how entirely clueless the general public is about computers.

Easiest thing to figure out was when this guy on his laptop was working through a port replicator, and suddenly lost his image! Very sensitive information that he though was lost might get PWNED! Ah well, he kicked a cable. I saw it right when I walked in, but apparently he hadn't gotten up and walked around his desk yet. The hardest thing to do is keep a straight face, and let people explain how incredibly DIRE their situation is. I try to relay to them, your data is NEVER safe. Get over it, accept that at any given time, something horrible CAN happen. I'm much nicer about it in person. Being nice, and listening, and nodding your head is 10x more important in a corporate setting, than fixing every little problem.

IT guys can always rely on "well, sometimes these things just happen."

 

[Steevo]

A friend manages a couple IBM servers and some Fiber network for two hospitals, however he got so bored that he got EMT training and does both for the hospitals now. He says his counterpart that watches the system for the other parts of the day is a useless turd and tried to get me to move to Florida and do it.



Starting wage with no IBM certs on Iseries servers was $47,000 a year, and they paid for the training, etc.... Then you got a bump to 52K. He was making 119K doing both jobs during the year.

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

A friend manages a couple IBM servers and some Fiber network for two hospitals, however he got so bored that he got EMT training and does both for the hospitals now. He says his counterpart that watches the system for the other parts of the day is a useless turd and tried to get me to move to Florida and do it.



Starting wage with no IBM certs on Iseries servers was $47,000 a year, and they paid for the training, etc.... Then you got a bump to 52K. He was making 119K doing both jobs during the year.

hmmm .. feel like moving from this 3rd world rock.

 

[1Strive]

A friend manages a couple IBM servers and some Fiber network for two hospitals, however he got so bored that he got EMT training and does both for the hospitals now. He says his counterpart that watches the system for the other parts of the day is a useless turd and tried to get me to move to Florida and do it.



Starting wage with no IBM certs on Iseries servers was $47,000 a year, and they paid for the training, etc.... Then you got a bump to 52K. He was making 119K doing both jobs during the year.

The head IT guys at one hospital (my main client) make around 52K. They are very political and back stabbing, they also like to raise their voice at us "IT vendors". I take refuge in the fact that I work from home, make a heck of a lot more, and don't have to deal with idiots like them on a daily basis. I am so glad I didn't take the 8-5 IT office job in the city this job is where it's at for me. I will stay at least 5 years while I finish up my degrees. MBA is my goal. Then we will see, from there but I hope I can stay with my current company they RAWK.

 

[Wile E]

Where's the "I invented IT" option?



lol jk I'm not in the IT business, tho I wouldn't mind it.

 

[Yin]

Where's the "0 Years" option?

I been trying to get into IT for about a year now, and its not working out for me.

 

[unsmart]

At some point you will be the old guy bragging to the the kids about how much you know, well your doing that right now i guess. Really the old guys know a lot that you don't. After all they started before "user friendly" was a term in computers, they made it so we can all set up a network or build a PC. You really have it a lot better then the old guys did and it is all because of there knowledge and hard work. I for one remember just loading Oregon trial on the pet PCs being a task.
I do agree the older you get the less up to date you are in any field but once in a while that old school knowledge saves the day. I'm not in IT[ landscaper] but I've worked with both the know it all collage kid and the seen it all old guy, THEY BOTH SUCK Being the work together do it right guy is the only way to get stuff done.

 

[1Strive]

Kid's right out of Collage. Suck.

At some point you will be the old guy bragging to the the kids about how much you know, well your doing that right now i guess. Really the old guys know a lot that you don't. After all they started before "user friendly" was a term in computers, they made it so we can all set up a network or build a PC. You really have it a lot better then the old guys did and it is all because of there knowledge and hard work. I for one remember just loading Oregon trial on the pet PCs being a task.
I do agree the older you get the less up to date you are in any field but once in a while that old school knowledge saves the day. I'm not in IT[ landscaper] but I've worked with both the know it all collage kid and the seen it all old guy, THEY BOTH SUCK Being the work together do it right guy is the only way to get stuff done.

Don't get me started on Kid's righ out of collage. I would rather work with the old guys over them.
Again, the "old guys suck" comment is in good humor, and is just to attract attention to the thread.

I have had friends that where as old as my parents and they are great but the ones that are my parents age and only have lived for themselves. They have only worked their whole life to get to where they are now and money is the only thing that is important to them. (Again I am talking about a few people that I know. Not everyone.) They can't see that others may have experience too (even more and some areas) and therefor they can not listen to anyone else. Then they talk about us "young guys" and how much we have to learn.

I look at it this way...
If you are 52 and I am 26 and we are doing the same job for around the same pay and there are mostly 40 & 50+ in our company doing this job, it isn't that I am just lucky. I have this position for several reasons. (and you aren't 25 years ahead of me if we are dead even and I am half your age, it's the other way around.)

Sorry for the generalizations they are to get people talking and I don't really mean them.
Except those Women, I mean who do they think they are?

 

[MMc2K3]

In what?

 

[1Strive]

In what?

Active Directory and DNS. Networking in General. Yes, when dealing with MS Domains and authentication it is important to understand how the accounts work and how policy flows, how to give access to resources. Not using NTFS shares for a File Server Cluster use the Cluster Sharing. Oh, and especially SAN(s) and NAS. Fiber Channel Switches. The list goes on. But this is just speaking for myself and against the Poser IT old guys I work with.

 

[Kreij]

I look at it this way...
If you are 52 and I am 26 and we are doing the same job for around the same pay and there are mostly 40 & 50+ in our company doing this job, it isn't that I am just lucky. I have this position for several reasons. (and you aren't 25 years ahead of me

You are correct ... I am not 25 years ahead of you. It means that I have 25 more years of experience with a vastly wider array of products than you. It, of course, does not mean that I know more than you when it comes to current tech, but it does mean that I know A LOT more than you about past tech.

That being said, I think that any who brags about how much they know is an arrogant moron (especially when it is to younger people in the field). There is always someone better than you in one field or another, and to take such a condescending attitude is pathetic. We are all here to do the best we possibly can and to share that knowledge with anyone who is interested in learning it. If we do not, we are worthless as a human being.

 

[1Strive]

You are correct ... I am not 25 years ahead of you. It means that I have 25 more years of experience with a vastly wider array of products than you. It, of course, does not mean that I know more than you when it comes to current tech, but it does mean that I know A LOT more than you about past tech.

That being said, I think that any who brags about how much they know is an arrogant moron (especially when it is to younger people in the field). There is always someone better than you in one field or another, and to take such a condescending attitude is pathetic. We are all here to do the best we possibly can and to share that knowledge with anyone who is interested in learning it. If we do not, we are worthless as a human being.

Arrogant I am okay with. And to brag does make me look like a fool. I am also okay with that considering I am on an online forum and not making these comments in the field. That would be being moronic.
There is always someone better than me in whatever. Yes. Are they here? (where I am) Now? No to both.

And while you may be interested in sharing knowledge (a rare thing in IT) not everyone shares your good will. Most hare hording knowledge and building little empires because they are scared for their job because they doubt their own ability to get another better one. I guess you would call some of the older guys I work with useless human beings.

I enjoy working with the ones that are sharing and don't like the ones who lie, back stab, play politics, use half truths they say "We" instead of "He" fixed it when it was just "Me" then when they do something it is "I".

So I am not complaining about You I am talking about some guys I work with.

A good example of a Older Man that I respect professionaly is my Father-In-Law. He is an expert in his field and there is no one better than him. He gets paid for his knowledge and a nice quart mil salary is a good place to be when you are in 50+. I hope I do as well as him in my career.

Good luck to you with your careers.

Thanks,
1STRIVE

 

[DR.Death]

it is not for me i like working on them but i could not do it for a job because it is to annoying some peoples computers u fix them then a week or 2 later they are worse and need more work but other then that its all good. i will still do it on the side for friends but i am going in to pluming and heating, air conditioning, refrigeration and ventilation so i can earn a living

 

[Kreij]

Arrogant I am okay with.

I'm not, there is no excuse for arrogance. It is the sign of a small mind.

And to brag does make me look like a fool. I am also okay with that considering I am on an online forum and not making these comments in the field. That would be being moronic.
There is always someone better than me in whatever. Yes. Are they here? (where I am) Now? No to both.

I did not mean to imply that it was you doing the bragging. I know that your comments were is jest and just being used to "keep the conversation lively"

And while you may be interested in sharing knowledge (a rare thing in IT) not everyone shares your good will. Most hare hording knowledge and building little empires because they are scared for their job because they doubt their own ability to get another better one. I guess you would call some of the older guys I work with useless human beings.

I really feel sorry for people like that. How can they deal with the day to day insecurity.
If I suck at something I will gladly admit it, and I am thrilled when there is someone I meet who can teach me more about the things I am not well versed in.
Actually the willingness to share IT knowledge is not that rare. If it were, TPU forums would not exist. Look at the large number of people here that are happy to share their knowledge and experiences.

I enjoy working with the ones that are sharing and don't like the ones who lie, back stab, play politics, use half truths they say "We" instead of "He" fixed it when it was just "Me" then when they do something it is "I".

Thankfully, those people are usually pretty transparent in everything they do, and it is not hard to see throught their facade.

So I am not complaining about You I am talking about some guys I work with.

I undestood that from the beginning. You don't know me or how much I know, so I gave you the benefit of the doubt.

A good example of a Older Man that I respect professionaly is my Father-In-Law. He is an expert in his field and there is no one better than him.

See what I mean? It's if fine for you to say this about him, as there are people who I know that I feel are at the top of their respective fields. They, however, should be humble enough not to make a statement like that. It makes them look superficial and pretentious.

I wish you well with your career too, 1Strive.