September 16, 2022 at 12:00 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Paying It Forward on the Internet
September 16, 2022 at 9:40 am
Thanks for the mention, sir!
September 17, 2022 at 3:12 pm
Well, maybe as usual I sort of got it backwards. The two things that I did that probably counted the most and give me the greatest pride were both well before and had nothing to do with my career or the internet.
Well before my IT career even was an idea, I was able to help start a halfway house serving as houseparent for seven delinquent teenagers released from state custody, and also operated a summer camp for a larger group of inner city boys.
Then a few years later I was privileged to be a charter member of a small group of about 20 people with the vision of starting a new church. I served on the board of elders for a number of years and was a member of the building committee for this organization which has now grown to a congregation of several hundred and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in a beautiful sanctuary I helped design.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
September 18, 2022 at 2:25 pm
WOW, last week, for me, was one of the busiest I've had in years. The next couple of weeks may be so, too. Therefore, I didn't even get a chance to read your newsletter, Steve. I like this topic.
Growing up I was taught not to push myself forward. Not to "toot my horn", as my Mom and Dad put it. To do so was always declared to be selfish and self-serving, which were devotedly to be avoided. So, when blogging came along, I followed the pattern I'd been taught, and didn't blog. Blogging, or in any other way, "putting myself out there", was wrong.
It wasn't until some people, Steve you are one of those, who pointed out that if I have something to share, I can help others. That thought was revolutionary, to me. Now, when I have something to share, I am likely to do so, time permitting. The thought of being able to help others has now become a reward for me. I'm glad I can do it.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
September 18, 2022 at 2:57 pm
WOW, last week, for me, was one of the busiest I've had in years. The next couple of weeks may be so, too. Therefore, I didn't even get a chance to read your newsletter, Steve. I like this topic.
Growing up I was taught not to push myself forward. Not to "toot my horn", as my Mom and Dad put it. To do so was always declared to be selfish and self-serving, which were devotedly to be avoided. So, when blogging came along, I followed the pattern I'd been taught, and didn't blog. Blogging, or in any other way, "putting myself out there", was wrong.
It wasn't until some people, Steve you are one of those, who pointed out that if I have something to share, I can help others. That thought was revolutionary, to me. Now, when I have something to share, I am likely to do so, time permitting. The thought of being able to help others has now become a reward for me. I'm glad I can do it.
Rod, I think sometimes you NEED to 'toot your own horn'. I remember that same advice from my parents. But sometimes we do need to avoid being taken for granted. For perspective, I recall early on in my IT career sitting in the office of the president and co-owner of the company I worked for. We had just related to him some recent accomplishments of our department, at which point he responded 'So, what have you done for me today?'
I have related here before my experience in sceduling a meeting with my boss at which I had prepared a summary of my contributions while suggesting a pretty substantial salary increase to which he promptly agreed.
I do agree that circumstances should generally determine when such is appropriate, but we should never be too shy to take care of ourselves too.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
September 19, 2022 at 3:54 am
Rick, your point is exceptionally good. It applies to many people. I work in the public sector, so asking for a raise never works. At least of the hundreds of people I've known who work in the public sector none of them have ever gotten a raise, based upon the good work they've done for the organization, the people, or the students (when I worked for my local university). Raises, if they come at all (and there's been times for several years go by without any pay raise) are always nominal (i.e.: 2% or 3%).
I have applied for other jobs and am looking into other opportunities, in the private sector, too. So far, it hasn't resulted in anything.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
September 19, 2022 at 1:38 pm
Rick, your point is exceptionally good. It applies to many people. I work in the public sector, so asking for a raise never works. At least of the hundreds of people I've known who work in the public sector none of them have ever gotten a raise, based upon the good work they've done for the organization, the people, or the students (when I worked for my local university). Raises, if they come at all (and there's been times for several years go by without any pay raise) are always nominal (i.e.: 2% or 3%).
I have applied for other jobs and am looking into other opportunities, in the private sector, too. So far, it hasn't resulted in anything.
Rod, I hope something right comes along for you that will reward you better for your experience and effort. I had no experience in the public sector and never in a union environment other than having five union data entry operators working for me for eleven years.
In my last position I had worked there for about eight years with fairly good salary history, but then the company began doing staff reductions which can be risky for older employees. I was at the point I could take my Social Security early, so opted for an early retirment with the full company retirement benefit. The remaining DBA group was outsourced to a contract company who shortly invited me to come back to work. After the first year back, annual reviews passed with none for me, so that is when I requested the meeting. The result of the meeting was an increase of $500 a month for another two years. And the original company still sends me a small but nice monthly retirement check. My wife and I had both been contributing the maximum allowable amount to our 401k accounts for quite a while, so life has been good, except that under the current federal administration I've lost $120k from my retirement savings so far this year. I 'paid that forward' towards someone's college loans.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
September 19, 2022 at 8:55 pm
That is awesome, Rick. I am happy both for your wife and yourself. I've not been so fortunate.
Rod, am I remembering correctly that you are located in the UK? Maybe I have that wrong.
I don 't know what your situation is, but I'm hearing lots of folks are just walking away from good jobs. On the other hand I read that there are a rising number of involuntary terminations at the same time. I do get periodic mailings about IT jobs around here in the Midwest, but haven't paid much attention to them.
I would sure encourage you to take care of yourself first and don't get stuck in something unless there is some overriding reason for you to stay. I was fortunate that after I made my third state-to-state move with wife and family I actually had four different employers within driving distance without needing to relocate. We moved to a small town with population of about 35k people, but was unusual in that there were international headquarters for three large corportions so IT jobs were abundant.
Glassdoor says this:
"Top-rated Manufacturing companies hiring near Muscatine, IA Area include HNI with an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5, Kraft Heinz Company rated 3.4 out of 5, Bridgestone Americas with a rating of 3.7 out of 5, The HON Company with a 3.7 out of 5, and Tyson Foods rated 3.6 out of 5 by employees."
I worked for HNI Corp, Thoms-Proestler Corp, Musco Sports Lighting, and Bridgestone (Bandag, Inc.) over a period of 28 years there.
The IT departments ranged from about 7-8 people to shops exceeding 50. My wife also worked at one of the companies in the early days of corporate internet sites, being assistnt to the VP of IT (my boss) and brought them and many other companies into the internet age, eventually 'retiring' and founding her own graphic design and internet development commpany (the third company that she created).
And the same to all of you folks on SSC. Take care of yourself and your family, find the place that appreciates you and your effort. Paying it forward is good, but pay yourself too.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
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