Re: Hi

Larry,
You have it right on the money! A good programmer/Analyst will spend more time 
dealing with his/her customers, than they will writing code. A good analysis 
and synthesis of the need will outweigh any pretty code. You have to provide 
the user with solutions. That is the rule. Too many IT shops just don't get it. 
Without the user, IT does not need to exist. I have been in IT for 40 years, 
and feel the new generation thinks it's all about the code. It ain't. It's 
about providing solutions to the users. period! 
 
Ric Weide
Tel: (678) 575-2620
Email: MisterBPCS@xxxxxxx
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Bolhuis <lbolhuis@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: Consulting on the iSeries / AS400 <consult400@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 15:19:34 -0500
Subject: Re: [Consult400] Hi


You must look to your advantages to survive. Those off-shore programmers 
are 'somewhat' removed from the daily workings at your shop. If you stay 
at your desk from 8 to 5 and then go home, so are you. I once left a job 
but stayed in the company golf league. About 1 year after leaving one of 
the assembly foremen said to me at the first tee, "Hey, the 'new guy' 
(one year into the job) found my office today! I didn't recognize him at 
first! It was like meeting him at Meijer I didn't place him right away!" 
That guy had absolutely no clue what went on in assembly, or machining, 
or heat treat or.... He wasn't respected by his co-managers. At one 
point he retired one of my programs ('It was too complex and hard to 
maintain') and replaced it with a simpler one. The next morning he had 
nearly every foreman in the place in his office because he had 
quadrupled the effort required on the floor. 'Too bad, I can't afford to 
spend the effort required to maintain that complicated program. Deal 
with it." He didn't last long.

Use your proximity to your customer whether internal or external to 
react more quickly, to see problems that need solving, to suggest 
improvements. Know your customer, know his needs, know his problems. You 
must decide if you are going to be Low Cost or High Value.

- Larry

Booth Martin wrote:
> Well said, John, but add this:  Those three $25K programmers are 
> energized.  In 5 years they're going to be good, real good.
>
> John Earl wrote:
> ...