Diary of a Network Geek

After the past couple of weeks...

Well, let's just say that I understand the whole idea behind getting away from technology for a bit. A sort of tech vacation, as it were. And, according to this article on Wired News, I'm not alone. The article talks about a conference dedicated to the idea of balancing our tech time with our non-tech time. Wow, what a concept!
Seriously, I have really felt the information overload lately. Two jobs, job hunting and family have all pulled me in so many directions that I hardly know which end is up! Not to mention the constant barrage of cell-phone calls and television and radio news. So, the idea that we need some help reorganizing our lives to be less technology intensive really resonated with me.

Anyway, it's an interesting article and a timely subject, so check it out.

Sort of....

Okay, not really. I know I'm their "only candidate" and I know they're talking to my head hunters, but that's it. I'm fairly certain that the guy I'd be reporting to wants to hire me. We hit it off fairly well and he seems like a good guy. (He also has red hair like my current good boss. Coincidence?) So...
So, that must mean that it's coming down to the "doh, re, mi". The "cabbage". The "green". In short, MONEY. And, isn't that always the way? I've actually tried three times now to get hired on at this company, because they're a growing, dynamic, stable company that believes in technology and it all comes down to a few thousand dollars. The hell of it is, I'd work for less, if I could. I really would. The job is that good, at least on paper. But, honestly, I've given them my rock-bottom, "I'm starvin' here!" price. God, I hope it's low enough.

The real ugly part of it all is that now I find myself thinking,"What else could I possibly bring to the table to make me worth it?". Like 10+ years of hard-core, hands-on experience with Novell isn't enough, right? Like teaching myself PERL and Linux isn't evidence of my ability to get in to it and figure it out? Like my years of supervisory experience doesn't count for something? (Okay, maybe that actually doesn't. I hated being a supervisor...)
Well, I do tend to play it low-key in interviews. I tend to not tout myself too much, lest I get in too far over my head. Besides, it's the Scotty Factor. If I can surprise them the first week or two, I usually find that I quickly develop the reputation for being a miracle worker. You get more interesting projects when people think of you as the miracle worker.
So, here I am, to keyed up to do anything useful, questioning my own value as an IT worker, blogging to take the edge off.

God I want this job so bad I could vomit.

Or, pirate broadcasters?

You make the call! According to the people in this article on Wired News, they're free-wheeling patriots just trying to get the message out via low-powered transmitters. But, the FCC says they're pirates. I won't make a call on that, but I do have to admit that I like the idea of running a little, local radio broadcast. The idea of being a wild, free voice spinning off into the airwaves with whatever I might want to say really strikes me as, well, fun. On the other hand, there is the time it would take. Shoot, I barely have time to post stuff in this blog, much less run a radio broadcast!
Well, if you want to do it, there are links in the article that will help.
Good luck!

Or is that "blues"?

Well, I got a call from the headhunter today. No offer yet. Still, I've been told that I'm realy their only candidate anymore, so I'm not worried.
What was worrisome, however, was the fact that the headhunter kept pushing me to see how low I would go on salary. Apparently, I'm a little bit more expensive than the client wanted to pay. On the other hand, how many CNEs with 10+ years of hands-on experience, who also happen to be Linux+ certified, can there be floating around Houston? How many of them, assuming that there are more than one, have broken NDS, on purpose, and recovered it? Twice? What is that worth? I guess we'll find out tomorrow....
The truly hard thing is that I'd really, really like to take this job. But, I just can't afford another pay cut. We're living at the bare minimum as it is. Another cut and someone around here has to stop eating! (Of course, I could stand to loose another 15 pounds, or so....)

Well, based on the way things were sounding, I did some follow up on two other jobs that had come my way. We'll see if anything turns up there. And, on the "plus side", they still haven't set a date for outsourcing, so I'm ahead of the game. If I can just find a good job that pays at least what I'm making now, before the outsourcing starts, I'll be a happy network geek!

Hey, I just got a t-shirt from Novell!

I went to check the mail after doing that last entry and found a t-shirt from the Cool Solutions people at Novell. Apparently, they give out t-shirts now, when you give them something to use on their site. So, I had e-mailed them a tip, which they used, and they sent me a t-shirt. A purple t-shirt, I might add. There are six other colors and they promise not to send me the same color twice. So, I guess I need to give them six more good ideas....
Gotta' get 'em all!

Not sure this is really a good thing...

I use MoveableType for this blog as well as a Fiction Blog on this site. I also use it on my other site and my wife uses it, too. So, we have a lot invested in this free software. But, I'm willing to pay for it. Especially if they're adding features. And, there's the rub. They've updated it, okay, and they added a comment registration feature, which is good, but that's all they did. Well, they made changes to the API to make it easier to write plug-ins, but in the process, they may, or may not, have broken existing plug-ins. Now, that I'm not willing to pay for... On the other hand, what else is there? Nothing else seems to be as robust or extendable. At least, nothing that I've found yet. So, I have an e-mail in to them regarding my particular licensing issue, and we'll see what they say. I may pay for the commercial version, based on the idea that my other site and/or my wife's site will have commercial content, but we'll have to wait and see...

Okay, so it's not so much fun as funny.

Hey, look, the pickin's are mighty slim on fun things for network geeks, so I'm forced to turn to funny op ed pieces. (Hint: If anyone has suggestions, I'm willing to check the link!) Anyway, this little number from Slate, compares loansharks to those paycheck/payday loan places. Frighteningly enough, the author makes a fairly good case for legalizing loansharks and outlawing the payday loan places!
Now, trust me, I'm from Chicago so I know from loansharks, okay? But, I'd rather be into them than pay the rates on those payday loans! Anyway, it's a funny article, though it's a sad subject.

I'll try for something better next week, I promise!

Okay, I know that "stenopool" is outdated, but...

Well, it was funny, right? Anyway....
So, guess what the latest trend in IT is? Contract CIO's. At least, according to this article on Australian IT. Really, with all the mergers and buyouts and "strategic restructurings" that go on, this makes sense. After all, everyone else on an IT staff might be contract and kept for just as long as there's a need, or until the end of a particular project. So, why not have CIO's that work the same way? Bring on one kind of CIO to steer a company through a merger, then another kind to grow the infrastructure, and a third to stabilize the whole thing for future growth.
Consider, for a minute, what's going on at my company. Potentially outsourcing most of what we do, if not all of it. Sounds like a perfect job for someone who's done all that before, right? But, why keep him around afterward when his, or her, skills are obsolete? Just bring in the next ex-dotcom "guru" who's already managed an outsourced IT department. Chances are good that he'll come a little cheaper for a longer-term contract. And, he might even go full-time. Sounds pretty familiar to me. And, it makes just as much sense for a CIO as it does for a Network Geek.

It'll be interesting to see where this trend goes...

Prospects look good!

The company is Oceaneering International and the job itself looks great. I'd be one of two guys rolling out a world-wide network solution using Novell products. And they're using pretty much everything: Netware, Groupwise, Zen for Desktops, Zen for Servers, you name it. This is the big-time. The slowest links they have are fractional T1, but that should be enough to use RSync to synchronize data back to the corporate office for backups. Which is the plan. So, unlike the current gig, there'd be no chasing after users at remote sites to change tapes! They also have Linux and are looking to do more with Linux. They also seem to be pretty good about training and certification. I talked with one guy there who was telling me that they reimburse for books.
Also, the benefits look great. They match 100% of the first 6% on 401k contributions. They have a vision plan, which matters to a family of glasses wearing freaks like us. And, if I'm reading the benefits description right, I'd get three weeks vacation after the first year. So, the benefits are pretty damn good.
Perhaps more importantly, the guys that I've met so far seem pretty easy to get along with. They're really easy going and always cutting up, so I think I'd fit in quite well. Oh, and one of them has a full beard, so I asked if I could grow mine back. Yes. Yes, I could rebeard myself. Huzzah!

The only thing now is for them to actually make an offer. And, if they will offer enough for me to live on... In the interview they tried to low-ball me. Frankly, as much as I love the job, I just cannot take another pay cut.
So, I guess the good news is there's been a law firm sniffing around for a Groupwise admin.... Not my favorite pidgeon-hole, but it's better than being outsourced! So, we'll see how it goes.
I'll post updates!

Hmm, Linux just seems to be in the news...

So, what am I going to do, ignore it? Of course not!
Well, this is a little old, but this article on Australian IT talks about Red Hat releasing a version of Linux meant for the desktop. Hunh? I mean, hasn't that been around for a long time? Well, I guess not according to Red Hat. Anyway, if they can get the installer to be simple enough for my mother to use, they'll have something. Until then, though, it's still a tool for us geeks.
Still, it'll be interesting to see how this one plays out.