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As an engineer-turned-programmer/sysadmin, working with other engineers, I've built a career out of doing this. Unfortunately, as a person with only-marginally-

As an engineer-turned-programmer/sysadmin, working with other engineers, I've built a career out of doing this. Unfortunately, as a person with only-marginally-better-emotional-quotient than other engineers, I've expected my solutions to be widely regarded, based purely on merit. After 25 years of this, I'm once again hitting roadblock after roadblock because I didn't "kiss the ring" of the people in charge. I've made them look stupid by building something pretty good where they have been failing for 10 years with an entire team. Then I went and wrote another application in a strange new framework that had been invented in the past 15 years, and this startled and frightened them. Don't be like me, kids. Play the political game. If you don't want your managers being told to dismantle the things you build, simply because you didn't kiss enough butt, learn how to raise your "EQ" and ensure the success of what you build. Otherwise, like me, you will have just written a bunch of stuff users loved, but management hated, and forced them to stop using. It's too late for me; save yourselves.

mathgladiator 9y ago
I've been at this cross roads, and it is about "EQ". It's about building relationship and trust, and I feel it is less draconian as "kiss the ring".
unixrefugee 9y ago
I agree with this as I currently find myself in this very situation. I was a Unix admin for a decade and then found myself having to embrace Linux and then Windows Server to have a job. I've been a sysadmin for 20 years and one is who quite happy to work as a "coder" when needed. I took a new job about a year ago, one that found me in a group of people who were struggling to do "simple" things, but doing them the "hard way". I came into this job, and because the core infrastructure is Windows Server, I learned PowerShell in about 6 months and started "solving" their problems by automating this and that. Things got easier, but the existing people thought me strange that I would resort to the "mere command line" for a solution rather than go about things using a GUI. My rule of thumb has always been "if I have to do it more than twice, script it." These people have poo-pooed my every effort along the way and the boss has even called me out on it, despite me showing him that we are making strides where the team once did not. Sorry, I'm a command line guy at heart, and this will never change. I'm not a method man by any stretch. PowerShell is the orthodox way of handling Windows Server issues and that these people I work with don't want to embrace it is not going to slow me down. We engage in useless meetings to have meetings. We talk about senseless things to jabber. I want to write scripts to automate certain tasks, but no. "What happens if you get hit by a bus, bro? No one knows how to code in PowerShell." My response to them was "I came here not knowing PowerShell, but I took the time to learn it and I'm productive in areas where you could be, too. I'll be happy to show you everything I've learned and coach you when you have time." They look at me like the proverbial deer in the headlights. I'm toying with leaving this year, as I want to work around like-minded, always-curious people, not people stuck in yesteryear.
- z3t4 9y ago
  When upper management see you are 10 times more effective, doing the same job as 10 other people, they might become interested. But if there's not enough job and you get paid for just sitting there, then use that free time to contribute on open source or something. Or maybe there's someone else there who has a pet project you can work on. If this is the case you should consider yourself lucky. At most jobs there's never a shortage of work. Eg. there are always more tasks that you can possible do and pressure from management that it needs to be done today, if not yesterday. Also if you are that much more effective you could start your own business, hire people and train them, then have 10x bigger margins then your old employer.
  - unixrefugee 9y ago
    Thank you for your comments. I have toyed with the idea for years of going into business for myself, but have no ideas. I'm a sysadmin who knows *nix, macOS, Linux, and Windows very well. I can only write in "scripting" languages, as my jobs all the years required only those. I never really branched out into Python (I can read it), or C++, etc. I have no idea what to do, what to offer, etc. It's funny, because when I'm at work, I don't really have to think too hard about solving a task. I'm generally the "smooth over" guy who fixes the things other people don't really see as issues, but having been in IT for so long, I can see the problems in the distance for a given job, as I've encountered them before. Most people just fly by the seat of their pants, but I love doing things once and well.
    - z3t4 9y ago
      Maybe you can be one of those solo entrepreneurs where everything is automated. Pick a niche that is very boring and are currently done by mundane manual work. For example accounting. Kick start by taking an existing product and sell the patchwork/scripts as a module/plugin. Maybe something like SAP. Don't quit your job until you are profitable though, and can just kill the project if it doesn't work out. It usually takes a few tries and a lot of learning until you figure out what works and what doesn't as an entrepreneur. eg. selling something people want (a faster horse) vs trying to sell something you think they desperately need (a car). Eg. pick the low hanging fruit, and don't be tempted to solve the hard problems until you have enough resources.
draw_down 9y ago
Yep, that’s how it is.

mathgladiator 9y ago

I've been at this cross roads, and it is about "EQ". It's about building relationship and trust, and I feel it is less draconian as "kiss the ring".

unixrefugee 9y ago

I agree with this as I currently find myself in this very situation. I was a Unix admin for a decade and then found myself having to embrace Linux and then Windows Server to have a job. I've been a sysadmin for 20 years and one is who quite happy to work as a "coder" when needed. I took a new job about a year ago, one that found me in a group of people who were struggling to do "simple" things, but doing them the "hard way". I came into this job, and because the core infrastructure is Windows Server, I learned PowerShell in about 6 months and started "solving" their problems by automating this and that. Things got easier, but the existing people thought me strange that I would resort to the "mere command line" for a solution rather than go about things using a GUI. My rule of thumb has always been "if I have to do it more than twice, script it." These people have poo-pooed my every effort along the way and the boss has even called me out on it, despite me showing him that we are making strides where the team once did not. Sorry, I'm a command line guy at heart, and this will never change. I'm not a method man by any stretch. PowerShell is the orthodox way of handling Windows Server issues and that these people I work with don't want to embrace it is not going to slow me down. We engage in useless meetings to have meetings. We talk about senseless things to jabber. I want to write scripts to automate certain tasks, but no. "What happens if you get hit by a bus, bro? No one knows how to code in PowerShell." My response to them was "I came here not knowing PowerShell, but I took the time to learn it and I'm productive in areas where you could be, too. I'll be happy to show you everything I've learned and coach you when you have time." They look at me like the proverbial deer in the headlights. I'm toying with leaving this year, as I want to work around like-minded, always-curious people, not people stuck in yesteryear.

z3t4 9y ago
When upper management see you are 10 times more effective, doing the same job as 10 other people, they might become interested. But if there's not enough job and you get paid for just sitting there, then use that free time to contribute on open source or something. Or maybe there's someone else there who has a pet project you can work on. If this is the case you should consider yourself lucky. At most jobs there's never a shortage of work. Eg. there are always more tasks that you can possible do and pressure from management that it needs to be done today, if not yesterday. Also if you are that much more effective you could start your own business, hire people and train them, then have 10x bigger margins then your old employer.
- unixrefugee 9y ago
  Thank you for your comments. I have toyed with the idea for years of going into business for myself, but have no ideas. I'm a sysadmin who knows *nix, macOS, Linux, and Windows very well. I can only write in "scripting" languages, as my jobs all the years required only those. I never really branched out into Python (I can read it), or C++, etc. I have no idea what to do, what to offer, etc. It's funny, because when I'm at work, I don't really have to think too hard about solving a task. I'm generally the "smooth over" guy who fixes the things other people don't really see as issues, but having been in IT for so long, I can see the problems in the distance for a given job, as I've encountered them before. Most people just fly by the seat of their pants, but I love doing things once and well.
  - z3t4 9y ago
    Maybe you can be one of those solo entrepreneurs where everything is automated. Pick a niche that is very boring and are currently done by mundane manual work. For example accounting. Kick start by taking an existing product and sell the patchwork/scripts as a module/plugin. Maybe something like SAP. Don't quit your job until you are profitable though, and can just kill the project if it doesn't work out. It usually takes a few tries and a lot of learning until you figure out what works and what doesn't as an entrepreneur. eg. selling something people want (a faster horse) vs trying to sell something you think they desperately need (a car). Eg. pick the low hanging fruit, and don't be tempted to solve the hard problems until you have enough resources.

draw_down 9y ago

Yep, that’s how it is.