What do you want?
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The primary skills required are salesmanship and the ability to effectively navigate corporate / governmental bureaucracy when necessary. These two things make most techies twitch. Do you want the direct contracts badly enough to expand your training in these areas? If so, then there's no reason you can't accomplish your goals.
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
I was just saying what I would like to see in a book. Having the basic skills and being able to bridge the gap are two different things.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest Hemingway -
Christopher Duncan wrote:
What non-techie things do you want
Peace in the world, no hunger, global warming... ah, you mean
Christopher Duncan wrote:
from your job / career
to be rich enough not to need it any more :)
What's keeping you from accomlishing it?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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What's keeping you from accomlishing it?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
What's keeping you from accomlishing it?
The peace in the world? Well, maybe if I was John Wayne, or at least John Simmons... ah, you mean the getting rich part? Lack of skills, determination, guts...
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I was just saying what I would like to see in a book. Having the basic skills and being able to bridge the gap are two different things.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayI find that to be a very common difficulty for most techies. It's easy for me to cover these areas as far as techinques to sell and / or deal with bureacracy, but I've always felt that there's something which eludes me in my desire to help my fellow geeks. I think you've hit it on the head with your comment about being able to bridge the gap. Without the ability to overcome their aversion to all things non-technical, nothing else will help them. I'm a little out of my element in this area because I have experience in sales, performing as a musician, writing, speaking, etc. Because of this, it comes naturally to me and I have a harder time understanding the perspective of others in this regard. What sort of help do techies really need to get over this introvert hump?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
What's keeping you from accomlishing it?
The peace in the world? Well, maybe if I was John Wayne, or at least John Simmons... ah, you mean the getting rich part? Lack of skills, determination, guts...
Nemanja Trifunovic wrote:
Lack of skills, determination, guts...
The first one I can put in a book. The other two have to come from you. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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Nemanja Trifunovic wrote:
Lack of skills, determination, guts...
The first one I can put in a book. The other two have to come from you. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
The first one I can put in a book. The other two have to come from you.
Or you can hire a shrink to write a chapter on self-motivation :)
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I find that to be a very common difficulty for most techies. It's easy for me to cover these areas as far as techinques to sell and / or deal with bureacracy, but I've always felt that there's something which eludes me in my desire to help my fellow geeks. I think you've hit it on the head with your comment about being able to bridge the gap. Without the ability to overcome their aversion to all things non-technical, nothing else will help them. I'm a little out of my element in this area because I have experience in sales, performing as a musician, writing, speaking, etc. Because of this, it comes naturally to me and I have a harder time understanding the perspective of others in this regard. What sort of help do techies really need to get over this introvert hump?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
What sort of help do techies really need to get over this introvert hump?
can't speak for anyone else, but at a fundamental level I've never understood how 'normal' people's minds work. I can fake it within limits, but never really knowing what others are thinking/implying has pushed me hard towards introvert/recluse.
-- If you view money as inherently evil, I view it as my duty to assist in making you more virtuous.
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Chris Austin wrote:
But, as an employer and business owner I want potential employees to stop being sheep and actually engineer things rather than wait for a dispensation of knowledge form a corporate blog.
What's their incentive to do so, and how many of them are aware of this incentive?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
What's their incentive to do so
I pay them well and am very flexible about working conditions, time off and, I don't nickel and dime them over hours. All I ask is that the job gets done well and on time. I also treat them to lots of lunches as well a weekly afternoon at the bar. It's all expensible you know :laugh: If they have an issue I listen and try to do everything I can to get the job done with and for them.
Christopher Duncan wrote:
and how many of them are aware of this incentive?
100% I am pretty clear when I bring them on that I truly despise sheepishness.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
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I find that to be a very common difficulty for most techies. It's easy for me to cover these areas as far as techinques to sell and / or deal with bureacracy, but I've always felt that there's something which eludes me in my desire to help my fellow geeks. I think you've hit it on the head with your comment about being able to bridge the gap. Without the ability to overcome their aversion to all things non-technical, nothing else will help them. I'm a little out of my element in this area because I have experience in sales, performing as a musician, writing, speaking, etc. Because of this, it comes naturally to me and I have a harder time understanding the perspective of others in this regard. What sort of help do techies really need to get over this introvert hump?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
I can duplicate anything I have seen done before or done before. However, coming up with an effective game plan seems hard. I love reading how to books which just glaze over that neat little detail of how. It reminds me of college lectures where the professor, wise in a subject, leaves it as a simple exercise for the student, forgetting the students don't have the same background. (Ie, a Calc I prof giving an extra credit assignment that requires using the Laplace transformation)
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest Hemingway -
Hey, folks. I'm doing more research for my next book, and as many of you know I tend to focus on the career aspects of the biz rather than techie stuff. I figure we have a pretty good variety of people here, which gives you a strong collective voice. What non-techie things do you want from your job / career (promotion, more money, work / life balance, more decision making authority, flexibility, etc.), and what are the problems that keep you from getting them?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
1. Ability to surf net without huge restrictions. 2. Flexible hours. 3. Tuition reimbursement. 4. Reasonable accrual of vacation hours. (I have seen some you don't get any for a year.) 5. Ability to move up in the company. (No bottle-necked departments.) 6. Ability to create projects without a huge hassle. I make good money, but could live on less especially if I love my job. I think benefits such as insurance are important also. In a perfect world I would have the ability to push a button to get the Chatty Cathy's to shut up!
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
The first one I can put in a book. The other two have to come from you.
Or you can hire a shrink to write a chapter on self-motivation :)
Wow. Sometimes things are staring me right in the face and I still miss them. :doh: Thanks, man - a chapter on self motivation it is! :-D
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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1. Ability to surf net without huge restrictions. 2. Flexible hours. 3. Tuition reimbursement. 4. Reasonable accrual of vacation hours. (I have seen some you don't get any for a year.) 5. Ability to move up in the company. (No bottle-necked departments.) 6. Ability to create projects without a huge hassle. I make good money, but could live on less especially if I love my job. I think benefits such as insurance are important also. In a perfect world I would have the ability to push a button to get the Chatty Cathy's to shut up!
These all seem like reasonable objectives. What's standing between you and accomplishing them?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
What sort of help do techies really need to get over this introvert hump?
can't speak for anyone else, but at a fundamental level I've never understood how 'normal' people's minds work. I can fake it within limits, but never really knowing what others are thinking/implying has pushed me hard towards introvert/recluse.
-- If you view money as inherently evil, I view it as my duty to assist in making you more virtuous.
That's the sort of thing I can easily cover in a book. Do you think if techniques for understanding these things were outlined that techies would be motivated to try them, or would it be too traumatic for them to interact with others?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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I can duplicate anything I have seen done before or done before. However, coming up with an effective game plan seems hard. I love reading how to books which just glaze over that neat little detail of how. It reminds me of college lectures where the professor, wise in a subject, leaves it as a simple exercise for the student, forgetting the students don't have the same background. (Ie, a Calc I prof giving an extra credit assignment that requires using the Laplace transformation)
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayI know just what you mean. In fact, that's why I named my company Practical Strategy Consulting. If stuff doesn't work out on the streets, it's pretty much useless. Do you think if I gave them the step one, two, three approach that more would be motivated to start taking charge of their careers?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
What's their incentive to do so
I pay them well and am very flexible about working conditions, time off and, I don't nickel and dime them over hours. All I ask is that the job gets done well and on time. I also treat them to lots of lunches as well a weekly afternoon at the bar. It's all expensible you know :laugh: If they have an issue I listen and try to do everything I can to get the job done with and for them.
Christopher Duncan wrote:
and how many of them are aware of this incentive?
100% I am pretty clear when I bring them on that I truly despise sheepishness.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
Chris Austin wrote:
I pay them well and am very flexible about working conditions, time off and, I don't nickel and dime them over hours.
It sounds like you provide a great environment for people. The fact that you actually care about these things is a real advantage in terms of retention. One thing that might help you get more results (i.e. less :baaaa!:-ishness) is if you started linking some of the perks with actions / attitudes that you'd like to encourage. Right now, everyone probably says, "This is a great place to work." While that's a good start, you'll get more action when people see that they're also recognized and tangibly rewarded for taking the initiative. This doesn't mean your "perks" budget has to get bigger. You could simply take some of the things you were planning to do, and instead of just handing them out, waiting for someone to be an exemplar. When they do, even if the first one isn't truly astounding, you throw a perk at them, make a big deal of it, and say, "That's what I'm talking about." It's often not even the size of the perk - it's making a big deal of it. People work for money. They'll walk on water for recognition, as long as it's sincere and not those crappy little plastic awards the big corporations give out in their phony awards ceremonies. You could simply buy 'em two shots at the bar - "This one's for coming up with the idea, and this one's for making it happen!" Others will begin to see that you treat your innovators like rock stars, and they'll be inspired to compete amongst themselves to see who can be the most brilliant and innovative. When that happens, and you see one guy off in the corner ignoring it all, well, that shows you where you can cut expenses. If you want your people to salivate at the chance to innovative, then condition them like Pavlov's dogs. :-D
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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These all seem like reasonable objectives. What's standing between you and accomplishing them?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Right now I have all of them but there are worries about layoffs with the merger. I'm hedging my bets because I love it here. Except the Chatty Cathy's. Although the Fran Drescher Laugher is moving to another building. :-D
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That's the sort of thing I can easily cover in a book. Do you think if techniques for understanding these things were outlined that techies would be motivated to try them, or would it be too traumatic for them to interact with others?
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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Chris Austin wrote:
I pay them well and am very flexible about working conditions, time off and, I don't nickel and dime them over hours.
It sounds like you provide a great environment for people. The fact that you actually care about these things is a real advantage in terms of retention. One thing that might help you get more results (i.e. less :baaaa!:-ishness) is if you started linking some of the perks with actions / attitudes that you'd like to encourage. Right now, everyone probably says, "This is a great place to work." While that's a good start, you'll get more action when people see that they're also recognized and tangibly rewarded for taking the initiative. This doesn't mean your "perks" budget has to get bigger. You could simply take some of the things you were planning to do, and instead of just handing them out, waiting for someone to be an exemplar. When they do, even if the first one isn't truly astounding, you throw a perk at them, make a big deal of it, and say, "That's what I'm talking about." It's often not even the size of the perk - it's making a big deal of it. People work for money. They'll walk on water for recognition, as long as it's sincere and not those crappy little plastic awards the big corporations give out in their phony awards ceremonies. You could simply buy 'em two shots at the bar - "This one's for coming up with the idea, and this one's for making it happen!" Others will begin to see that you treat your innovators like rock stars, and they'll be inspired to compete amongst themselves to see who can be the most brilliant and innovative. When that happens, and you see one guy off in the corner ignoring it all, well, that shows you where you can cut expenses. If you want your people to salivate at the chance to innovative, then condition them like Pavlov's dogs. :-D
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
Christopher Duncan wrote:
If you want your people to salivate at the chance to innovative, then condition them like Pavlov's dogs.
Thats pretty reasonable and great insight. I've always been better with the carrot than the stick.
Christopher Duncan wrote:
and not those crappy little plastic awards the big corporations give out in their phony awards ceremonies.
LOL! I got one of those once and left it in my cube when I left the company 3 weeks later. The only thing worse IMO are "cake" celebrations.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
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Dunno, probably depends how well you write the book.
-- If you view money as inherently evil, I view it as my duty to assist in making you more virtuous.
Then clearly, I'm in trouble. :)
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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Christopher Duncan wrote:
If you want your people to salivate at the chance to innovative, then condition them like Pavlov's dogs.
Thats pretty reasonable and great insight. I've always been better with the carrot than the stick.
Christopher Duncan wrote:
and not those crappy little plastic awards the big corporations give out in their phony awards ceremonies.
LOL! I got one of those once and left it in my cube when I left the company 3 weeks later. The only thing worse IMO are "cake" celebrations.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
Chris Austin wrote:
The only thing worse IMO are "cake" celebrations.
Hey, at least you can have a food fight with it. :-D
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com