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Walter_Sobchak posted:
You have to consider what it's worth to you, both in terms of actual costs and the mental toll. I'm guessing folks have a longer commute to save on rent, but does that really justify the additional gas/wear and tear (or even the need to have a car in the first place), parking costs, and most importantly, the limited personal time you give up during the work week? Between 6.5 hours of sleep and an 8.5 hour workday, the difference between having 8.5 hours (15 min/way commute) and 7 hours (1 hour/way commute) a day to yourself is pretty loving substantial.
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Sep 10, 2013 20:19
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is it?
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Traffic Reporter posted:I have my annual review coming up in a little over a month and I have been considering using that opportunity to ask for a raise. In speaking with others here they typically give raises annually that are cost of living + a little bit extra. Is it considered bad form to "counter-offer" on something like that? Has anyone here been successful in renegotiating salary at an annual review (full time, non-contracted employee) and if so what kind of phrasing and language did you use? I'm not sure how to be firm in requesting a raise without sounding like I'm ready to walk if it doesn't happen. I work for a really great company that has some pretty good fringe benefits and I really enjoy working for them, so I don't want to sour the relationship in any way or lead them to believe I'm looking elsewhere (I'm not). I think they will agree to give me something if I can find the right way to ask, can anyone who has made this work offer some advice? Don't be a dick about it and justify yourself, worst case reaction should be a "no" unless you work for unreasonable people. Explain whats steps you've taken to develop yourself since you were hired, what additional responsibilities you've taken on beyond the role you were hired for, and highlight any specific projects you've completed that benefit the business. It can also be an opportunity to discuss what role you want to move towards and what they would want to see from you to get you there (and give you the commensurate pay).
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Sep 27, 2013 01:01
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Methanar posted:Any input, anecdotes, experiences would be hugely appreciated for helping me get my poo poo together. You sound like a fine candidate for an entry level position in a NOC, which would expose you to enterprise gear and get you situated to work on your CCNA. But companies are going to be reluctant to take on a 16 year old - maybe that's different in Canada?
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Sep 27, 2013 23:54
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Methanar posted:Unfortunately its probably not. Also I live in a lovely redneck town of about 20k people. There is nothing here. I don't even know where the nearest NOC, or manned node would be. At best there might be a few in the capital city (still population 100k) If your plan is to work in IT in any sort of depth, you will be relocating to a larger city anyway - is that not an option for a couple years? But as others have said, perhaps reconsider jumping into the workforce. You're in a shoe-in for college, you can do meaningful part-time IT work while getting a degree, and no one is going to take a teenager seriously (sorry). You won't be too far behind in a few years when you graduate and then you might be able to hop a couple rungs when starting full time work. Not to mention, a degree can be essential in some places if you want to move to management in time.
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Sep 28, 2013 00:16
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Anyone making plans for unpaid vacation this week? Would be nice if it couldn't be cut short any day.
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Sep 30, 2013 04:09
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routenull0 posted:Typically Government sector contracts are paid in advance, so contractors will still be working while the Government is off sipping Pina Colada's on the beach, I know I will. If only we were so lucky. Not only is our contract not paid in advance for October, our federal contracting officer has literally not provided guidance. We are just sitting on our hands at home waiting to hear what the gently caress is going on.
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Oct 1, 2013 13:09
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Misogynist posted:Makes you wonder if they'd have better luck filling the position if they offered a better wage instead of paying all this money to hopeless staffing agencies. They'd have more luck assuming they're having more trouble than the typical turnover for that kind of bullshit job, sure, but is it worth the headache? Dealing with a bunch of low wage workers that you probably aren't interested in promoting because they aren't building any relevant skills, especially ones tossed to the wind like desktop repair technicians, sounds like just the situation that exposes your company to a ton of risks and requires disproportionate managerial attention. Sometimes a more expensive line-item on your budget is worth it.
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Oct 8, 2013 13:06
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H.R. Paperstacks posted:As a government contractor, you should get a copy of your actual contract you are working on and read through it so you know what the government is expecting of you and how the contract is to be run. Does this usually take a FOIA request, or just asking the contracting officer? e: Asking as a W2 employee of a contractor, not the contractor.
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Oct 21, 2013 12:53
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I sort of see his point. When employees gets to the point that they can handle a task without having to clear every detail with their supervisor, they are more valuable (e: and may be ready for some direct reports themselves). It's not even so much independence from a technical standpoint, it sounds like that boss is talking about being able to understand the implicit requirements (that may be organization specific) of a project and what management and/or the customer wants in the first place. Now if he's saying he doesn't want to be bothered with collaboration on technical issues, that's just a lazy boss.
AreWeDrunkYet fucked around with this message at 12:28 on Oct 25, 2013 |
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Oct 25, 2013 12:10
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Sorry, I meant tracert, net, and netstat commands. They don't seem that complicated, but I just can't remember the syntax and abbreviations. Use the -? switch. I don't think anyone really goes out of their way to memorize syntax, it just happens after you look it up enough times.
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Nov 13, 2013 03:32
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Count Sacula posted:Admittedly I don't do a ton with clearances aside from a couple DC-area Federal clients, but I have never really looked at a clearance as commanding more money, just as something that opens a few more doors. Those doors tend to pay better. It's not that having a clearance will net you more on a job that doesn't require a clearance, but the relative lack of cleared folks means that the jobs that do require it (generally) have to offer better compensation to recruit decent people. It's also often easier/cheaper to train someone on a technology than get them cleared (not to mention running the risk of the new hire failing the clearance), so a clearance can be an inroad to a job someone might be marginally or even under qualified for in the broader market. AreWeDrunkYet fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Nov 14, 2013 |
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Nov 14, 2013 23:40
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Just let him know that his performance has been subpar making sure to cite specific examples and complaints, presenting your case in writing and having him sign the document to acknowledge he has seen it. Let him know how he's being measured on and tell him that you are going to repeat the performance review in 90 days (or 60, if that's too long for you/your organization) Make sure he understands that he will be out of a job barring any improvement - that should cover you more than adequately and give him a reasonable opportunity to start making other arrangements. I've seen bosses give plenty of verbal warning to offenders that never go anywhere, and other companies that will hand out pink slips without so much as a warning. Don't be either.
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Nov 22, 2013 22:22
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SEKCobra posted:Well I still feel like it should be possible to work in an environment where everyone calls each other motherfucker as long as they are all in on it. Obviously not at that extreme necessarily, but the principle stands. It's perfectly fine as long as everyone is in on it, it may become a problem for the organization when one or more people feel like they are no longer in on it. Hence most workplaces just not taking the risk of allowing it to get to that point and cutting out that kind of stuff before it becomes a problem.
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Nov 27, 2013 22:49
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e: wrong thread
AreWeDrunkYet fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 13:01
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Dilbert As gently caress posted:yeah I mean I'm obviously not too thrilled about it, but in some aspect I'm not too sad about it because I didn't leave anything I couldn't have gotten anywhere else. The only real thing that worries me right now is the obvious money aspect, I have enough to get by for a bit. One of my old jobs that was near a local goon might give me something till I can find a new gig. Just a reminder to everyone to have 6 months or so of cash on hand because poo poo happens. Searching for a job is a lot easier (not to mention less stressful) without bills looming, and you will have the opportunity to actually turn down bad offers. And gently caress it, if you just got laid off, now is the time to take a long vacation anyway. Come back in the new year when hiring is picking back up - not like you'll be able to take a few weeks off for a while when you get that new gig.
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Dec 11, 2013 18:18
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Dilbert As gently caress posted:Also is it common to hang out with coworkers outside of work(I don't want to go into it I just want to know)? An occasional work happy hour, sure. Depending on where you work and if a manager is present, the company may pick up the tab too. On any consistent basis, gently caress that - I spend time outside of work with friends. You might make friends at work like any other place, but then you'd continue hanging out with them even if you weren't working together anymore, right?
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Jan 17, 2014 14:13
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For those of you who have to look at resumes, does it matter when you get it? That is, are you more likely to take a closer look at something towards the end of the posting when the initial deluge has died down, and does it make a difference (or is it even noticed) if a direct application comes in, say, in the middle of the workday, late Saturday night, etc?
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Jan 31, 2014 14:18
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skooky posted:Dress Shirt, Tie and Dress Pants should do it. A Jacket if it's cold, but not necessary and you don't feel comfortable wearing one. If you're going to wear a tie, wear a jacket - it looks forced the other way, and you should probably even take off the tie before the jacket if you are stepping down the formality.
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Feb 4, 2014 15:17
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It's not a deduction, but someone earning $250k certainly won't have everything past $98k foreign earned income exclusion taxed at "the $250k bracket" as originally claimed. Any income in excess of the exclusion gets taxed at the normal rates for that level of income - some at the $90k bracket, some more at the $185k bracket.
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Feb 19, 2014 04:04
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About non-competes, as others have mentioned you basically need to be in the executive suite or in a very narrow, senior technical position for it be even remotely enforceable. And even then they have to give you something in exchange for the thing, especially if you are not a new employee and previously were not party to a non-compete - chances are the boilerplate at-will employment agreement will not qualify. Basically, unless you're a contracted (meaning your employment is guaranteed for some time, not that you are a 1099 worker) employee and your employer is being a stickler about you signing a non-compete, just do it. Then ignore it. If you are unsure, go pay for an hour of a lawyer's time who will probably tell you to ignore it.
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Feb 25, 2014 00:00
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Bob Morales posted:Mr. Super Jew McCheapfuck. Please don't do this.
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Feb 25, 2014 23:39
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Do you already have a testing environment?
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Feb 27, 2014 22:14
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Sickening posted:"At will" state so no. Sounds like you've already got a few leads, but it doesn't seem like you would be ineligible for unemployment. Won't be much, but never hurts when you don't have an income even if it's only for a few weeks.
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Mar 4, 2014 09:41
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Talk to the supervisor handling the hiring informally, that's the beauty of applying for internal positions.
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Mar 4, 2014 22:36
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Docjowles posted:I am actually interested in the leadership role, but other guys on the team have been here for longer and know the systems and company better so I'm not sure it would fall to me. They may also decide not to promote anyone for now and just have us all report to HIS boss, the Director of Ops. We'll see. Assuming you actually do want it, have you asked for it?
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Mar 13, 2014 01:34
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evil_bunnY posted:Cartalk: I ride my bike, so I do less cardio and keep more money. 
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Mar 13, 2014 13:42
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Alfajor posted:Does this make any sense? What's your (or your team's) logic when trying to figure out what to do now versus what to do later? How much money is this costing the enterprise, and how much time will it take to fix it? Sometimes you have to make exceptions because executives get huffy (but luckily they usually just want to know that someone, anyone is paying attention to them so you can send someone you may not miss), but for the most part never forget that IT is just there to facilitate whatever it is your organization is doing and your priorities should revolve around those objectives.
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Mar 17, 2014 18:40
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Misogynist posted:I always hated this quantitative line of thinking, because a non-stakeholder trying to estimate the business impact of anything beyond a complete business standstill is the equivalent of Google asking a developer candidate how many marbles fit inside a school bus. Every book and every methodology teaching problem management and risk management, including the ITIL corpus, trots out the "how much is this costing the business?" line, and nobody knows, least of all some IT middle-manager who probably has no background in finance or business of any kind. Yes, an effective manager will be aligning the department's goals with the stated goals of the business, and will prioritize effectively among business units. But doing this quantitatively, with any kind of accuracy, means that you're prioritizing business units that are profit centers over business units that are cost centers. IT, as a cost center in almost every organization, should see right away how stupid this is. You're absolutely right, but that really only applies to edge cases. Usually aligning yourself with business needs is fairly obvious - for example, is a revenue-generating website down? Get on that poo poo. Now. Printer jams can be cleared later. Or for something less obvious, if you are considering two projects of similar complexity, you can usually at least estimate the scope of the impact. I am in no way suggesting you break out spreadsheets and models to make business decisions as an IT manager who has not been tasked with that, but people seem to make decisions for all sorts of nonsense reasons (who hasn't seen a project a manager thought was "cool"?). Just getting IT people into the mindset of understanding that they exist to make the rest of the business run more efficiently is often a surprisingly large step up from whatever was happening before.
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Mar 17, 2014 19:39
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the spyder posted:I have noticed a few goons mention security clearances on here and before I apply I wanted to ask how it has affected your career path and job opportunities. My work is offering it and I plan on taking them up on it before things go too far downhill here. Do you work in DC? You'll find additional opportunities and better pay for the same work, but it's not necessary if you're qualified enough to be in demand. Elsewhere, it won't make nearly as much of a difference since it just plain won't matter for nearly ever position - consider if you're willing to make the necessary lifestyle changes before pressing forward.
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Mar 28, 2014 01:08
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Misogynist posted:Anyone ever turn down a Internal or external?
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Apr 2, 2014 18:23
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because the recruiter is a total loving rear end in a top hat?
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evol262 posted:Yes, after saying "I'm gonna be at Coachella for the next few days, I'll think about it and talk to you when I get back" and getting called multiple times each of those days, each time desperately offering me more and more money if only I'd work for them! It was like having a crazy ex. It's always tempting to throw out a ridiculous counter-offer to what will obviously be a terrible employer, but then what do you do if they accept it?
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Apr 2, 2014 18:58
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Right. Folks might be directed to escalate issues to you, and you may be asked to take point on some projects or training where you're in charge or something, but 'senior' in no way implies any actual supervisory role.
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May 8, 2014 22:41
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Fiendish Dr. Wu posted:On Tuesday, our account reps for Exadata are coming in for an all day meeting with our team. Being the newbie on the team, I was told to come up with at least 1 or 2 questions for the reps. I've been reading through the documentation and honestly I'm having a hard time coming up with a question that is A: worthwhile of asking and B: not easily googleable. Any ideas? Can't comment on specifics for Exadata, but as a general rule for these things ask some folks who work with the software what their biggest complaints or obstacles are. Even if everything is working as it should be, they might be able to provide some shortcuts or best practices that'll make your lives easier.
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May 25, 2014 19:21
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psydude posted:I guess my thing is that Google, Facebook, and Microsoft seem to magically parse resumes and hire people without it, so I have no idea why it's still used. Same reason for every other dumb thing that comes out of HR, most employers have their heads up their asses. Not that those three are blameless of rear end-headery, but being an industry leader is probably at least in part due to some sort of managerial competence like not forcing good applicants to jump through ridiculous hoops. Or if we're being less generous, they have the cash to cover up these issues by hiring more people to read resumes.
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May 28, 2014 16:31
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What would be a better design for an assessment for Office applications targeted towards entry level, partially technical interviewees...something along the lines of data entry. A list of instructions, or a PDF of the desired result with some notes for clarification? The idea is to give them one or the other along with a blank document and 20 or so minutes (on an internet connected laptop, not trying to stump anyone). Basic Office nonsense is amazingly not as common of a skill as you might expect, even if it is on everybody's resume. Even among relatively recent college graduates.
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Jul 14, 2014 23:55
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fromoutofnowhere posted:Speaking of automating installs, is there a way to set up powershell or some other program to start an install of a program, go through the next, accept, next, workstation name, blah blah blah finish, reboot? We are currently working to move another building into our newly expanded building and we've got around 40 to 50 computers to setup with custom software packages. Most of the installs can be handled by policies that we have set in place, but there are several sets of software where we need to put in passwords, server information, network information, etc. Is there anyway to automate that? As long as the software uses the windows installer, you can pass options like that with msiexec. A lot of configuration options you can also ignore during installation, then overwrite the configuration file after the fact with one of your own.
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Jul 19, 2014 15:57
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AlternateAccount posted:I think this thread/subforum has a really bad case of salary inflation in general. There are 10,000 low-rent schlubs who are willing to do any help desk/jr sysadmin work for $12-14 an hour, so that's what it's going to pay. The thing is that most of those same schlubs could be doing the same work for $16-18 an hour if they worked somewhere else or pushed back on the offer letter. If someone really need a job now and the employer isn't budging from $12 an hour, sure take it - but don't stop sending out your resume.
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Jul 23, 2014 15:35
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Alfajor posted:What does your company use to track PTO of salaried employees? About 30% of the company is salary... and while hourly employees have an actual timeclock which schedules PTO properly, salary people get nothing. So, we came up with the idea of setting up an Outlook Public Folder (exchange 2010) and it seems to be filling the need, but not as elegantly as I would hope. Are we talking for payroll purposes, or informally to make sure that half a department isn't out at once? If it's the latter, a shared spreadsheet worked well enough for a group of about 25 people.
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Jul 25, 2014 02:23
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One way of thinking about it is that you will have no choice but to specialize over the course of your career, assuming you are in non-managerial positions of increasing responsibility. The hard part is going to be maintaining knowledge outside of your specialization - but making the effort to do so will make you more valuable since you'll be able to speak coherently to other people outside of your specialization.
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Jul 25, 2014 23:13
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