4 ms·

"Okay, first off, being a sysadmin or an ops person is important!" This is the first time that I have heard or read anyone say this in years. Thanks

wpasc 7y ago
Sysadmins are important for sure! I do think that it is true though that certain functions are being more automated. Perhaps a DevOps or SRE role might be a better fit that a full on developer? DevOps and SRE roles are certainly not going anywhere anytime soon. Best of luck with you endeavors, my sympathy for your struggles.
ocdtrekkie 7y ago
As a fellow sysadmin, I think you have to be careful not to take certain concepts from HN too seriously. A lot of the HN crowd does seem to act like there is no role for sysadmins in the future, that developers will manage the infrastructure for their own software. ...This is bull----, and it probably always will be. There is a vastly higher demand for implementation and support and security than there will ever be for people to create the stuff in the first place. While learning to code is a big plus (I am a hobbyist developer when my caffeine is flowing enough for me to process code), there will always be a huge need for people who understand the priorities and needs of the companies they work for who can recommend, assemble, and manage solutions for them. Even in a fully cloud-based setup, your average company will still need someone who understands the cloud and the applications operating on it to support them and ensure they aren't being taken advantage of. Sure, plenty of IT jobs are getting shuffled off to blue collar outsourcing shops, but check out stories about Wipro this week to understand why that is going to backfire significantly in the long run. Our job is not just to make it work, but to anticipate problems and provide affordable, workable solutions that mitigate the risks of those we work for.
- HenryBemis 7y ago
  To quote the wise boxer Tyson: "everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face". The same applies to any type of system/proceeds. Someone above correctly mentioned '1st line of defence'. I will add to the 'cloud does everything' comment that 'cloud is a computer somewhere else'. And THAT computer (somewhere else) needs sysadmins, netadmins, DBAs, and a bunch of other xyzadmins to get shit done and fix the many small cracks before they become big cracks. A company can automate all the way to 11, but you simply cannot remove the sysadmins completely for the equation (one does not simply walk into Mordor!). Machines don't do things by themselves. Skynet is not imminent.
DutchSysOps 7y ago
Thanks indeed, wish our managers knew this too. Instead of saying "What is he doing for work?!" every day.
photonios 7y ago
After having gone from a 3-person company to 30+ people running two large websites serving tens of millions of visitors every month with tons of systems I can definitely say: all praise the sysadmins / devops people. Keeping the whole damn thing running was a challenge and when we finally made some good hires in this area a ton of weight was lifted off my shoulders. Thank you!!

wpasc 7y ago

Sysadmins are important for sure! I do think that it is true though that certain functions are being more automated. Perhaps a DevOps or SRE role might be a better fit that a full on developer? DevOps and SRE roles are certainly not going anywhere anytime soon. Best of luck with you endeavors, my sympathy for your struggles.

ocdtrekkie 7y ago

As a fellow sysadmin, I think you have to be careful not to take certain concepts from HN too seriously. A lot of the HN crowd does seem to act like there is no role for sysadmins in the future, that developers will manage the infrastructure for their own software. ...This is bull----, and it probably always will be. There is a vastly higher demand for implementation and support and security than there will ever be for people to create the stuff in the first place. While learning to code is a big plus (I am a hobbyist developer when my caffeine is flowing enough for me to process code), there will always be a huge need for people who understand the priorities and needs of the companies they work for who can recommend, assemble, and manage solutions for them. Even in a fully cloud-based setup, your average company will still need someone who understands the cloud and the applications operating on it to support them and ensure they aren't being taken advantage of. Sure, plenty of IT jobs are getting shuffled off to blue collar outsourcing shops, but check out stories about Wipro this week to understand why that is going to backfire significantly in the long run. Our job is not just to make it work, but to anticipate problems and provide affordable, workable solutions that mitigate the risks of those we work for.

HenryBemis 7y ago
To quote the wise boxer Tyson: "everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face". The same applies to any type of system/proceeds. Someone above correctly mentioned '1st line of defence'. I will add to the 'cloud does everything' comment that 'cloud is a computer somewhere else'. And THAT computer (somewhere else) needs sysadmins, netadmins, DBAs, and a bunch of other xyzadmins to get shit done and fix the many small cracks before they become big cracks. A company can automate all the way to 11, but you simply cannot remove the sysadmins completely for the equation (one does not simply walk into Mordor!). Machines don't do things by themselves. Skynet is not imminent.

DutchSysOps 7y ago

Thanks indeed, wish our managers knew this too. Instead of saying "What is he doing for work?!" every day.

photonios 7y ago

After having gone from a 3-person company to 30+ people running two large websites serving tens of millions of visitors every month with tons of systems I can definitely say: all praise the sysadmins / devops people. Keeping the whole damn thing running was a challenge and when we finally made some good hires in this area a ton of weight was lifted off my shoulders. Thank you!!