October 18, 2010 at 6:28 am
You forgot all except unethical and look for a new job.
Keep it quiet until you can't hold it in.... start whining and complaining. Try to convince management the error of their ways. Consult others ..."Realize the problem isn't as big as it seems"...Accept it for what it is work on it/move on.
If you don't have the time fix a 3rd party application you can at least spend a little bit of time looking at it to see if you can make some improvement. The fix might not be perfect but people will appreciate the effort.
We'll never get everything we want. So you just have to do the best you can with what you have.
Note: Consultants telling management that you can virtualize your enterprise SQL servers on the same hardware you're running 100s of utility boxes on doesn't help provisioning new hardware. 😀
October 18, 2010 at 7:49 am
Scenario One – What an opportunity to be a hero!!! Contact the vendor; tell them that their application is performing slowly. Ask them what can be done to improve performance. Also, tell them to email you the architecture and server specs. Once you have that information and have thoroughly analyzed it, call a meeting with your manager and possibly the business unit. In the meeting, review the problem they are experiencing and state the solution you have worked out with the vendor. They will think you are invaluable for fixing their problem and the vendor will be happy because they kept a client. This is a win-win situation!!!!
Scenario Two – What an opportunity to prove your value and do things your way!!! Review the job responsibilities of the other DBA that was laid off. See if there are unnecessary thing they were doing that can be eliminated. See if there are some things that can be automated. See if there are some things that can be merged with what you are currently doing. Setup a meeting with your manager and give him / her the good news of the improvements you have made.
So, they cut your budget and you’re not going to get a new server. What an opportunity to prove your value by optimizing the server!!! See if there is a different disk configuration or you can more databases to different drives. See if your company has a SAN you can leverage off of. See if you can save space by deleting old files. See if there is a little money in the budget to add more memory or get more drive space. Demonstrate to your manager that new hardware would cost $$$ much, but you could really save the company money by investing only this $$ much. It could be that your manager has a budget this year, but it is just smaller than last year and they need ideas of how to improve things without spending a lot of money.
October 18, 2010 at 8:43 am
I tend to agree with Bill in that you rise to the occasion and look to improve things. Try to find the best in the situation and improve things.
However, I don't like to be abused, and I have seen places that just look to abuse people. And people that put up with it, often because they are afraid of losing their jobs. I won't do anything unethical, and while I'll work the extra hours in the short term, a week or two, I won't do it permanently or for months. That's not worth it.
October 18, 2010 at 11:37 am
These scenarios don't sound like disasters to me. They sound like challenges that would be fun at best and interesting at worst.
Games have a goal (or multiple goals), barriers, freedoms, a playing field, and players. Work is a game. If you aren't enjoying it, re-evaluate the game, and stop playing if you find you really don't like it. No reason to get overwhelmed by chess. If you feel like you're losing, study the rules and options and see if you can play better. If you really can't, then play a different game. Maybe water polo is more your thing than chess. Or maybe you need a new stadium or new city to play in/for. Same for work.
The one time I was asked to do something unethical for a company, I resigned immediately and walked right on out the door. If you don't have your sense of personal honor, you have nothing, regardless of whether you have money or not.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
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"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
October 18, 2010 at 11:44 am
GSquared (10/18/2010)
These scenarios don't sound like disasters to me. They sound like challenges that would be fun at best and interesting at worst.Games have a goal (or multiple goals), barriers, freedoms, a playing field, and players. Work is a game. If you aren't enjoying it, re-evaluate the game, and stop playing if you find you really don't like it. No reason to get overwhelmed by chess. If you feel like you're losing, study the rules and options and see if you can play better. If you really can't, then play a different game. Maybe water polo is more your thing than chess. Or maybe you need a new stadium or new city to play in/for. Same for work.
The one time I was asked to do something unethical for a company, I resigned immediately and walked right on out the door. If you don't have your sense of personal honor, you have nothing, regardless of whether you have money or not.
What did they want you to do?
October 18, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Ninja's_RGR'us (10/18/2010)
GSquared (10/18/2010)
These scenarios don't sound like disasters to me. They sound like challenges that would be fun at best and interesting at worst.Games have a goal (or multiple goals), barriers, freedoms, a playing field, and players. Work is a game. If you aren't enjoying it, re-evaluate the game, and stop playing if you find you really don't like it. No reason to get overwhelmed by chess. If you feel like you're losing, study the rules and options and see if you can play better. If you really can't, then play a different game. Maybe water polo is more your thing than chess. Or maybe you need a new stadium or new city to play in/for. Same for work.
The one time I was asked to do something unethical for a company, I resigned immediately and walked right on out the door. If you don't have your sense of personal honor, you have nothing, regardless of whether you have money or not.
What did they want you to do?
I don't remember. It was in 1987.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
Property of The Thread
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
October 18, 2010 at 12:07 pm
There is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily on him (Ecclesiates). Each of the options listed in the original post have their place and merits. A person trades their time for $ (if you're a consultant you can just laugh all the way to the bank).
October 18, 2010 at 12:16 pm
mike.hartman (10/18/2010)
There is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily on him (Ecclesiates). Each of the options listed in the original post have their place and merits. A person trades their time for $ (if you're a consultant you can just laugh all the way to the bank).
Except when the client decides they won't pay you.
... which my main one just did to me. Anybody got a piniata around that can ship over here?
October 18, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Ninja's_RGR'us (10/18/2010)
mike.hartman (10/18/2010)
There is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily on him (Ecclesiates). Each of the options listed in the original post have their place and merits. A person trades their time for $ (if you're a consultant you can just laugh all the way to the bank).Except when the client decides they won't pay you.
... which my main one just did to me. Anybody got a piniata around that can ship over here?
Did you sign a contract for specific deliverables before you took the consulting job? If not, you're probably SOL. If so, you might take it to court.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
Property of The Thread
"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
October 18, 2010 at 12:35 pm
GSquared (10/18/2010)
Ninja's_RGR'us (10/18/2010)
mike.hartman (10/18/2010)
There is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily on him (Ecclesiates). Each of the options listed in the original post have their place and merits. A person trades their time for $ (if you're a consultant you can just laugh all the way to the bank).Except when the client decides they won't pay you.
... which my main one just did to me. Anybody got a piniata around that can ship over here?
Did you sign a contract for specific deliverables before you took the consulting job? If not, you're probably SOL. If so, you might take it to court.
Not quite as simple as that. I've been with them since late december 2009.
I've logged and billed over 1800 hours since and they've paid well ever since except this time.
We have no source control for the code here and everything is simply saved on the network so other than my log book where I input my mileage, I have very little proof of hours logged.
We do have a shared todo list but we save directly as we didn't care much for the history of what happenned to each item.
Now the only "good" news is that I'm subcontracting for a company which acts as an in between. Which means in theory that they are responsible to pay me, not the final client. That being said it's never a fun thing.
I guess I was a fool to think that after all that time there was nothing to worry about anymore.
October 18, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Ninja's_RGR'us (10/18/2010)
GSquared (10/18/2010)
Ninja's_RGR'us (10/18/2010)
mike.hartman (10/18/2010)
There is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily on him (Ecclesiates). Each of the options listed in the original post have their place and merits. A person trades their time for $ (if you're a consultant you can just laugh all the way to the bank).Except when the client decides they won't pay you.
... which my main one just did to me. Anybody got a piniata around that can ship over here?
Did you sign a contract for specific deliverables before you took the consulting job? If not, you're probably SOL. If so, you might take it to court.
Not quite as simple as that. I've been with them since late december 2009.
I've logged and billed over 1800 hours since and they've paid well ever since except this time.
We have no source control for the code here and everything is simply saved on the network so other than my log book where I input my mileage, I have very little proof of hours logged.
We do have a shared todo list but we save directly as we didn't care much for the history of what happenned to each item.
Now the only "good" news is that I'm subcontracting for a company which acts as an in between. Which means in theory that they are responsible to pay me, not the final client. That being said it's never a fun thing.
I guess I was a fool to think that after all that time there was nothing to worry about anymore.
How would you guys react? I still have full access to all source codes and their backups. I have no intent to destroy there servers and yet no intent of letting 'em access to those files.
October 18, 2010 at 12:42 pm
And yes for all of you wondering, I'm available for work as of pretty much now.
Resume :
I know a little bit a SQL :w00t:.
SQL 7, 2000, 2005, 2008
Access, Office, ASP.net, scripting, automated jobs.
October 18, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Sadly this is more and more common these days...
I believe as my colleagues have said before, that we need to be professionals and one of most important characteristics is integrity. Just be honest, say: "this is as far as i can fix or I can do this task but that other will have to wait". if you are honest then it will be easier to keep going on; because in today's economy job hunting is no thrilling experience.
October 18, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Ninja's_RGR'us (10/18/2010)
How would you guys react? I still have full access to all source codes and their backups. I have no intent to destroy there servers and yet no intent of letting 'em access to those files.
My first reaction would be to contact the contracting agency that put you on location and ask them if they wish you to release a lockdown for the work that's going to go un-paid to them by the client that they're still responsible for. Leave it in their lap, and force them to work with the assumption that they're required to pay you and you're doing them a favor. Be amazed at how often that works.
As to rising to the occassion, it depends on what I'm rising to. The personalities and intentions of the players have just as much to do with the situation itself. Is the boss that can't get you that raise or server from the same boss you practically have to jump through hoops of fire to be allowed to use that comp time from the weekend server rebuild? Are you covering extra hours because your boss is golfing, or because he's trying to go through the pile of resumes that come in every day for the extra staff member you need?
Some people need to have the house burn down around them before they'll start thinking fire alarms aren't just for testing, and some companies/managers have the same problem with personel. Sometimes you really do need to vote with your feet, even if you're just going to get stuck flipping burgers awhile. It's money to time ratio, but if the only thing you spend your money on is a house you occassionally sleep in and a refridgerator to rot food in because you're never home... what's the point?
Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.
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October 18, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Ninja's_RGR'us (10/18/2010)
How would you guys react? I still have full access to all source codes and their backups. I have no intent to destroy there servers and yet no intent of letting 'em access to those files.
I understand the gut reaction, because I've been in your shoes, but - don't compound the situation. The work product isn't yours, so even though it might feel personally gratifying, it's ultimately wrong (and illegal in some jurisdictions) to withhold it.
The only thing worse than losing an account is to lose the acocunt AND lose your reputation in the process.
Pursue the matter through the company who subcontracted to you. They ultimately have a responsibility to get you paid, and a financial incentive in getting you paid (since they no doubt take a cut as well), so they may have some leverage. That said - most companies won't negotiate with a threat over their head, so - do the right thing.
Still - it's an awful scenario to be in. Sorry to hear.
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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
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