At 01:49 PM 8/23/2000 -0600, you wrote:
<<
Later this year I will begin work on a web site (for profit, hopefully) to
begin to create a micro-infrastructure to facilitate this type of labor
market -- at least on a small level. I would love to hear from anyone who
has an interest in this subject, knows what the hell I'm talking about,
perhaps shares my views, and might want to collaborate on such a project.
>>
In less technical terms, I think companies should hire people as a
long-term investment rather than a short-term solution to a specific
staffing need.
Somebody could get hired as a mail-room clerk who happens to have a 200 IQ
and a vision that could lead the company, but if he is never allowed to
grow out of his job description, he will make the leap only when he gets
another job. No matter how well he delivers the mail, he will still only
be the mail-room clerk. He's been typecast by the company. It takes a
certain balls and personality to work against the tide and zig zag your way
up the heirarchy. Most people don't rock the boat and would rather develop
skills independently and then leave for greener pastures.
The reality is that the aptitude of a human being is far greater than most
employers give them credit for. It's very simple and convenient to
pigeon-hole people into various categories and roles, but you wind up
stifling their ability to grow, which limits their "utility" (to use your
term).
Employers want instant proficiency, but the job market puts up barriers
that hinder ones ability to develop such proficiency, by boxing people into
job titles. Rigid job descriptions help with organization, but it does
lead to heavy turnover. And at least in web companies, where code is
typically minimally commented, you don't want a revolving door of developers.
Another related topic is that of specialization. They want proficiency and
specialization. Versatility is not valued as much as it should be in the
dynamic world of internet technology. Jacks of all trades masters of none
tend to be heavily exploited by low-budget outfits as they wear many hats
and get paid less than an experienced worker in any one of his
fields. I've experienced this before. Yet how much value will a Cold
Fusion specialist be if Allaire declares bankruptcy and some other
technology reigns supreme? You'll have to fire your whole workforce and
restaff with people who know the new technology because everybody's a
one-trick-pony.
We had that problem at FasTV (now defunct). They wanted to go to JSP but
they had an all Cold Fusion staff. Only those with the APTITUDE to learn
new skills quickly would have been able to make the shift, and for the most
part, nobody knew what everyone's aptitude was. Everyone else would have
had to be let go had that happened. We were also highly tied to Real
Networks. Our main streaming media guy knew nothing but RealMedia. He was
purposefully ignorant of the capabilities of Windows Media. This caused a
myopic vision. What if HTML dies in favor of XHTML or some other fancy
technology? I already see a lack of growth in HTML guys who are really
slow to pick up on CSS and DHTML. If a company only staffs up people with
a singleminded purpose to only know ONE THING REALLY WELL then they will
either always be restaffing or they will not make the changes they need for
their organization--and get left in the dust.
I also feel that in larger companies with a thick heirarchy that corporate
politics has a lot to do with this as well. Those moving up can too often
move up at the expense of their superiors. It's better to keep the lower
end guys down and if you ever need to recruit at the higher levels, just go
outside for new hires. So I think there is a lot of insecurity that plays
into management style and staffing decisions, which of course hurts the
overall quality of the company's operations.
Ultimately there are always going to be haves and have nots, and people
will be envious of others. I think most of us have had experiences where
we knew if only we were given more carte blanche, more authority, be given
the CTO spot, we could really shine. We've been smarter and more talented
than our bosses on many occasions. Rarely if ever do we get into a
position where we can remedy that situation without just putting the resume
out on Monster board and going elsewhere.
So at first it may seem as though having a diversity of skills is NOT an
asset in the job market, it will be in the long run as you develop
intermediary to advanced proficiency in multiple disciplines.
So the best advice I can give any cold fusion developer out there is to
take some time to learn ASP or JSP or PHP, and have other hobbies that can
become backup careers. Learn Flash. Learn DHTML. Study more SQL or NT
administration. Don't bet the farm on just one narrow skill. Being
proficient is great and should be pursued, but not to the expense of
versatility. The more you know the better you can be at what you do and
weather the changes that are inevitable in this business.
I really think it's far better to be well-rounded in all apsects of your
chosen field than to have many holes in your knowledge.
Glenn Saunders - Producer - Cyberpunks Entertainment
Personal homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/1698
Cyberpunks Entertainment: http://cyberpunks.uni.cc
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