[Today’s run: nothing yet]
Here are some conclusions I draw from my “Jobs” series:
I like some stability. Working for a company where the paychecks are in doubt or where the structure is in constant flux is not fun. It can be compensated for by higher pay or more power. But being a powerless flunky in that kind of environment is not where I want to be.
I also like some variety. I see that I’ve worked on a lot of different projects and in a lot of different environments. It’s nice to not be working a factory floor putting tab A into slot B.
I’m capable of some self direction, on the other hand, I’ve been in situations where some training or mentoring would have really helped. For example, I don’t think anyone really did much to help me develop any kind of salesmanship in the NCR days. I guess they thought “go sell your time” was enough.
I am too happy to spend too much time doing nothing. I look back now and see that there are gaps in my productivity. So, while I can be “self directed”, it is good to have someone to work with to lay out a plan of activity and some goals.
The computer business is very cyclical. It seems like the same ideas come around again and again, usually with a new name and maybe some added features each time. And that’s good news for someone in middle-age. I may not know how to program in Ruby, but I’m confident I could figure it out. And maybe I’m not up on SOA, but I was trained on CORBA at one time and RPC before that. So maybe I know something about something sort of like what we’re talking about.
In the first 1/3rd of my career I picked the “technical expert” track. Frankly, I don’t know if I have the brain power to stick with that, particularly in light of the google hoards and other youthful armies of very smart people.
The way to increase salary in the technical side of the computer business is to change employers. You can’t really ask for more in your current position. I’ve been in my current position for 15 years, with just COL adjustments every year, so I’m basically making the same amount that I was when I started. I’m not complaining; I traded take-home pay for increased stability and other benefits like medical and retirement. And maybe it works that way in every business after you get through an initial ramp-up in experience.
I’ve been very fortunate to not have any extended period of unemployment, for which I am thankful. Computer work has been good to me.