Job thread

[Yegolev]

Robots don't have feelings (it's true) and many user-layer issues can be "fixed" with flashy images and obfuscation.  Plus, meat workers can argue with a digital worker all they like and it won't shed a tear.  Is it a machine or some guy in Pune?  We'll never tell!

I'd sob but my approach was reaffirmed today when the guy taking y'alls approach was torn-apart in a user meeting while I had praises sung. 

Yea, I can totally see that.  We're not really "there" yet for everyone but it's being worked on.  It doesn't make sense for small or mid companies in many cases to automate to a high degree, for multiple reasons.  However, the reason we regular folks will all be able to use (and afford) cloud computers in the future is because of automation driving the work behind big shiny buttons.

[Sky]

I'd love to be able to retire and watch the library try to get by with automated support.

The embodiment of the comedy/tragedy image.

[Yegolev]

Someone needs to keep an eye on Baby Skynet.  Also, automation solutions are going to handle the common and repetitive situations, so when someone pisses on a keyboard they will still need you.

[Sky]

Don't all users basically piss on keyboards?

[Yegolev]

Most of them, yes.

[Abagadro]

My BIL has a client looking for an IT Director. Pays in the 60k range (no clue if that is good for that type of position). Located in Utah (ya ya I know). Don't know much else about it but if anyone wants me to get them in contact shoot me a PM.

[Merusk]

My BIL has a client looking for an IT Director. Pays in the 60k range (no clue if that is good for that type of position). Located in Utah (ya ya I know). Don't know much else about it but if anyone wants me to get them in contact shoot me a PM.

Not even remotely close. They need to at least double it.
http://www1.salary.com/UT/Information-Technology-Director-salary.html

[Abagadro]

Interesting.  I'll pass that along.

[Yegolev]

Are those American Dollars?

Per year?

[schild]

Oh lawdy.

There's a misunderstanding within tech - and other industries - that if you live in a place with a lower cost of living that companies should pay a salary befitting that cost of living.

NO. If you want anyone good to move to fucking Utah, you pay them the national average, if not more. You let them live like a goddamn King in your shitty mormon wasteland.

$60k is a goddamn joke. There are employees at supermarkets that make more.

[Yegolev]

A quick dash through salary.com makes me nervous about getting a raise ever.  Of course, I'm not really sure what the correct term is for what I do.

[schild]

Senior Lamprey Eel?

[Rasix]

Well, in about 3 hours I get to be told that I won't be getting a promotion, won't be getting any sort of raise, and that I should be doing more to justify the things that they cannot give me.  "Tom, you need to be working like a band 9 to get a band 8.  Never mind that anyone with your job description should already be an 8.  LOL WE'RE A SHITTY COMPANY. Be happy you're employed!" 

60K.. ohh lordy. I'm not sure where I'd have to live to accept that little.  Might be tempting if I was laid off and living somewhere time forgot (opening for Arizona joke).

[Yegolev]

Senior Lamprey Eel?

Time to go to Vistaprint!

[Chimpy]

Is the firm small and just calling the position "IT Director" when it is really just a guy who is the more important of two desktop support guys and maybe makes sure a hosted website is up or is this a larger organization that has developers, support, and operations people reporting to it?

If it is the latter, what everyone else said. If it is the former, 60k might be understandable depending on cost of living.

[Lantyssa]

Geezus.  Didn't even have to go searching the site.  Guess what my title is?  Yeah... time to find a new job.

[Yegolev]

We've all known this for a while.  Good luck with looking around.  As mentioned, HP ES isn't really hiring at the moment or I'd see if I could find something.  Although there could be openings on the careers site, I'm unlikely to know any of the involved people.

[Phildo]

My company in northern VA is looking for a helpdesk tech.  You're all overqualified.

[Signe]

I'm not.

[Yegolev]

Zing!

[Phildo]

You're hired?

[Merusk]

Is the firm small and just calling the position "IT Director" when it is really just a guy who is the more important of two desktop support guys and maybe makes sure a hosted website is up or is this a larger organization that has developers, support, and operations people reporting to it?

If it is the latter, what everyone else said. If it is the former, 60k might be understandable depending on cost of living.

Good point. Though if it's advertised with that title you'll find a bevvy of overqualified guys wondering what the hell was up with the listing and laughing about it on the web.

I make a little over 60, but I'm underpaid and know it.  I accepted less to get my foot in the door and gain experience so I could move on or leverage it against this company.  Plus it's still more than a non-registered Architect in this area makes by a good margin.

[HaemishM]

Careful with the salary data you see on that salary.com site, especially the farther from "civilization" you get. It is wildly inaccurate for my neck of the woods. You know, Outer Buttfuckistan. I showed similar salary data to my boss (who is a friend I've known for over 2 decades) and he laughed. "According to this, I'm woefully underpaid" is pretty accurate paraphrase.

[Signe]

I'm confused.  I'm looking at the salary charts and all that rubbish and everyone is saying that they're woefully underpaid.  Who the fuck is making those average salaries then?  We need to find those people and grill them.  (not in a pervy way, though)

[Merusk]

Careful with the salary data you see on that salary.com site, especially the farther from "civilization" you get. It is wildly inaccurate for my neck of the woods. You know, Outer Buttfuckistan. I showed similar salary data to my boss (who is a friend I've known for over 2 decades) and he laughed. "According to this, I'm woefully underpaid" is pretty accurate paraphrase.

He probably is at least nationally, because of the phenomenon schild references above.  Employers only look in a narrow area around them to compare salaries, assuming - rightfully so for most aged 35 and older - that people won't move for a better salary because they're comfortable with the area and have ties.  This is why millennials confuse them with the job hopping and point out salaries from a state away. The thought is largely, "Yeah, but you're not actually going to move there. You live here."  Then they're shocked when it happens.

When I look at national and regional data not just from Salary (industry reports such as those AUGI and the AIA put out) that's what I compare and salary's pretty close to those, even adjusted for the locality information.

Then again, it also requires that more than a handful of people are reporting back to wherever salary is pulling data. Which would explain why underpopulated or technologically impaired areas would report weirdly high or low.

[croaker69]

A quick dash through salary.com makes me nervous about getting a raise ever.  Of course, I'm not really sure what the correct term is for what I do.

These days I like Technologist.

[Selby]

My new boss sat me down a few weeks after I started and said "I'll be frank, what they were paying you for your skills in the San Francisco bay area was under what you should be paid and an insult to you.  That's why we paid you more than that to come work for us."  That made me smile.

[schild]

A quick dash through salary.com makes me nervous about getting a raise ever.  Of course, I'm not really sure what the correct term is for what I do.

These days I like Technologist.

What a hilariously douchey term.

[Trippy]

A quick dash through salary.com makes me nervous about getting a raise ever.  Of course, I'm not really sure what the correct term is for what I do.

These days I like Technologist.

What a hilariously douchey term.

Not as douchey as "Growth Hacker".

[Abagadro]

Is the firm small and just calling the position "IT Director" when it is really just a guy who is the more important of two desktop support guys and maybe makes sure a hosted website is up or is this a larger organization that has developers, support, and operations people reporting to it?

If it is the latter, what everyone else said. If it is the former, 60k might be understandable depending on cost of living.

I don't know but my suspicion based upon his client base is that it is the latter.  Probably a small/medium business needs someone to oversee their computer needs and slapped that name on it. I know very little about the distinctions and nature of these types of jobs so probably shouldn't have even said anything without more info. He just tweeted it out so I thought I would pass it on to a group I know is weighted in that type of thing.

[schild]

A quick dash through salary.com makes me nervous about getting a raise ever.  Of course, I'm not really sure what the correct term is for what I do.

These days I like Technologist.

What a hilariously douchey term.

Not as douchey as "Growth Hacker".

Any company that uses the word "hacker" is full of total buttheads.

[Yegolev]

I'm confused.  I'm looking at the salary charts and all that rubbish and everyone is saying that they're woefully underpaid.

Just for the record, I didn't say that.

If I had to invent a title for myself, it would be Gets Things Done.  People might ask me to explain how I got that title and then I'd go into that Native American name joke somehow.

[01101010]

I'm confused.  I'm looking at the salary charts and all that rubbish and everyone is saying that they're woefully underpaid.  Who the fuck is making those average salaries then?  We need to find those people and grill them.  (not in a pervy way, though)

I am suspecting there are a couple outliers pulling those averages up. I guarantee you I am underpaid since I work for a public university as staff and my salary comes from grants. However, the perks I have access to lessen the sting. But knowing a few people that do data management, they get paid much more and do way less. That is to say they are more focused on a particular area and are more an expert in that area than my jack of all trades position. Someday I'll get a real job... someday.

[Viin]

One of my previous employers tried to give a "benefits" breakdown to their employees, putting a dollar figure on all kinds of stuff: vacation days, medical benefits paid by them, etc. They added all of this together with your salary as a represented of your "total compensation". Wasn't a bad idea.

[Phildo]

My company did that while negotiating my salary so that they could say "See?  We met your salary request!"