Eric wrote:
On 2013-12-13, Recliner wrote:
wrote:
snip
I'm one of those perhaps in your mind odd people who view computer science
and engineering as a profession akin to medicine or law, not some bottom
of the ladder job thyats merely a starting point to getting a space in
the directors carpark.

As I suspected, your lack of communications skills stopped you from being
promoted into management. No wonder you're always angry and frustrated.
Just think how much more successful you could have been in your career had
you not skipped those English lessons.

Do you mean that, or are you just attacking? Some people don't want to
be managers, and deliberately stay away from any such opportunities,
without being made angry and frustrated by what are, after all, their
own deliberate and reasoned choices. Being a manager is not equivalent
to being successful.

That's an interesting point, but unfortunately is usually true. In most
technical fields, you're at your most productive from your mid 20s to late
30s; after that, someone else will be a sharper programmer, etc. I was
confronted with this at the age of 27 when I was offered my first
management job -- I was reluctant to take it, as I reckoned I was doing
better and earning more as a non-manager. But it was explained to me that
I'd be overtaken by my peer group if I refused the promotion (and drop in
salary), so I reluctantly accepted.

However, I still did techie stuff whenever I could, and didn't regret my
move into management. By my early 40s I was a director, enjoying commuting
by air-conditioned BMW 535i (my older colleagues preferred Jaguars), rather
than the sweaty Piccadilly line. And, yes, I had a reserved spot in the
directors' car park by the age of 41. I wouldn't have wanted to still be a
techie, working for a younger manager, and competing with younger, sharper,
more recently qualified colleagues. I was much happier commissioning and
owning projects, rather than just doing what I was told.

My technical background meant that the programmers working on my projects
couldn't pull the wool over my eyes as easily as they might have done, but
most of my colleagues also had numerate degrees, as did the CEO. So I'm
happy to see techies progressing into senior management, where they will
probably be more effective than if they stayed as technicians. And they
will understand the technology much better than an arts grad.

Although I never needed to do any finite elements analysis after I got my
master's, I did use some of the same mathematical techniques much later in
financial models, even as a manager. Being a manager didn't stop me from
writing and selling complex North Sea oil tax models, so I got the best of
both worlds.

I think Spud/Boltar is showing all the signs of hating having to work for
younger, better-paid managers (or customers) he doesn't respect. The
feeling is probably mutual. He probably now has to compete with younger,
sharper techie colleagues/competitors who also perform better than him, and
will probably soon overtake him. It must be very frustrating for him, and
It's hardly surprising that, as compensation, he feels the need to be so
obnoxious in an anonymous forum like this. He probably thinks the same of
his bosses, but can't say so.