RE: iSeries Education (was iSeries vs. zSeries)

Hi Larry,

Yeah, I'd have to agree that the state of affairs is pretty sad....  I'd be
hard pressed to qualify why the employers I've worked for have chosen to
ignore education.  Perhaps its the geographical regions where I've worked
(West and Central Texas, then DFW), or perhaps its the mom and pop culture
in some of these shops...  Maybe it's just that they want something for
nothing...  Undeniably, this has been one of the most frustrating aspects of
MY career.

I've always driven myself hard to learn as much as I can about the things
that affect my life.  As always, work related skills are paramount, since I
hope to be employable until such time as I choose to retire, so I've never
had a problem with self-directed learning.  I do feel that most employers
will gladly let me spend my own time, money, and effort to learn these
things, even though this effort benefits the company (as well as myself).  

I wonder if modern life has erased the proposition of "education as
investment".  In this day when you must have a degree to apply for a
janitorial job, the focus isn't on "what you know".  It's just the diploma
that counts....  Oh well, back to my corner...



Eric DeLong
Sally Beauty Company
MIS-Project Manager (BSG)
940-297-2863 or ext. 1863



-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Larry Bolhuis
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 2:05 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: iSeries Education (was iSeries vs. zSeries)


Eric, 

Wow, that is sad...

What is it do you think that makes your employers want to keep you in 
the dark? They must understand that IT is one of the fastest changing 
fields out there. Would they go to a doctor or dentist who still did 
things with 20 year old skills and tools? I think not. Yet they pay you 
and purchase hardware and software but don't want you to know how best 
to utilize those assets?  Managers and companies need to understand that 
COMMON, IBM Technical Conference, iSeries DevCon, Local Lugs, as well as 
distance learning opportunities are all Investments, NOT costs. Any 
investment is intended to return MORE than was put into it. All of these 
educational opportunities are just that.  Of course you would understand 
that there is a limited budget for this sort of investment as well. 
Other than those paid to speak I suspect there is nobody that attends 
all of these things every year or even in a given year.  Investment 
spread too thin does no good either, however NO investment guarantees no 
growth.

Clearly there are those who attend events such as these who gain nothing 
from them. These folks can usually be found at the local attractions 
rather than in sessions. COMMON for instance during any given hour 
routinely counts only about 1/2 the paid butts actually in seats. Even 
counting expo, lunch, and volunteer positions some folks just aren't 
there for education, they're there for vacation. Discounting the 
'vacationers' however I believe you and your management would be amazed 
at the positive feedback that nearly every other attendee would give 
from any of these events.

I have been very successful in getting my customers to send their folks 
to COMMON. Clearly I do not take up the cause if the technical staff is 
not interested and of course I don't always succeed. However In the 
cases where I don't succeed the answer is nearly always the one that 
gets Admiral Grace Hopper out of her grave to smack them on the head: 
"We have never sent people to educational events we've always been this 
way."

  - Larry

DeLong, Eric wrote:

>Not to beat this dead horse again, but I've never been in a position where
I
>could attend COMMON.  I know I could use my personal vacation to attend one
>myself, but I'm not a member of COMMON, nor am I actively involved with
LUG,
>so the cost could be considerable.  I would certainly like to see what it's
>all about, but I can't easily justify the personal expenses involved.
>
>I suppose I fit in the "young" category (at age 37), but with 20 years in
>midrange, my memory tells me that 1) I've never worked in a shop that was
>affiliated with COMMON, 2) I've never worked in a shop that supported the
>notion of sending anyone to COMMON, 3) most shops refuse to allow their
>programmers to get involved in LUG, 4) only one shop has paid for
>specialized education.  Its a lousy track record, and in my opinion, it's
>only getting worse.  Bummer...
>
>In lieu of COMMON, I've come to see these mailing lists as my educational
>salvation.  
>

>-- 
>  
>
Larry Bolhuis                   IBM eServer Certified Systems Expert:
Vice President                    iSeries Technical Solutions V5R3
Arbor Solutions, Inc.             iSeries LPAR Technical Solutions V5R3
1345 Monroe NW Suite 259          iSeries Linux Technical Solutions V5R3
Grand Rapids, MI 49505            iSeries Windows Integration Technical 
Solutions V5R3
                                IBM eServer Certified Systems Specialist
(616) 451-2500                    iSeries System Administrator for 
OS/400 V5R3
(616) 451-2571 - Fax              AS/400 RPG IV Developer
(616) 260-4746 - Cell             iSeries System Command Operations V5R2

  If you can read this, thank a teacher....and since it's in English, 
thank a soldier.