Perhaps you can take the bull by the horns and ask for education to become
the super operator and enough education to do programming in your spare
time. Our operator not only handles i security but she also handles all
Domino and Windows security. In a way it makes sense. Payroll
terminations, etc are funneled through her. She can blast them out of
everywhere at once. (Although we tend to disable them because new hires
are often "set them up just like Joe was".)
Our operator get's four weeks of vacation. I'm her backup. We heavily
document all her tasks in a document database in Domino. If we can't
cover her when she's gone some strong suggestions are made about her
documentation.
IBM has something called an "education card". Basically it's a volume
discount of IBM education.
1-800-IBM-TEACH
See the "System i Training paths" offered at
http://www-304.ibm.com/jct03001c/services/learning/ites.wss/us/en?pageType=page&c=a0000607
I think it's now called an "IBM Education Pack". While still discounted
nicely I think it used to be more of a bargain. I think when it first
started it was one chunk and one person could take all the education they
could fit in a year.
http://www-304.ibm.com/jct03001c/services/learning/ites.wss/us/en?pageType=page&c=a0000155
Be careful. Taking a path often requires some sort of sequence and your
calendar and IBM's may not mesh.
Does a class called "Introduction to System i for Computer Professionals
(AS43)" sound interesting? See the System Administrator path.
I met a guy at either COMMON or one of the IBM tech conferences that was
given an IBM education card, and some travel reimbursement, as a severance
package. Must have been the tech conference, because that's on that card
also.
I could imagine management wanting you to sign some sort of indentured
servitude agreement if they were to send you to every course in the system
administrator path. Even with the 10% discount that's some serious chunk
of change. Then there's travel...
Hence why some people use courses like those offered by
http://ibmuser.com/
http://www.mantatech.com/
and another one that is offering you a $200 kickback if you purchase their
education by the end of the year
http://www.lab400.com/promotion.asp?idno=24941
(ooh, ibmuser.com is really ATS and if you buy the ATS system admin bundle
from lab400 you get two kickbacks)
Another nice thing about these courses is many of them can be used by
multiple students. Like the four of you at work. You all take the
courses and management can separate the chaff from the wheat as they see
who best applies the knowledge.
Make sure the courses aren't dated. Some companies have a history of
putting out education that is only applicable to an early version of the
OS and hasn't been updated in a decade or so. (hint: If they still offer
it on tape cassette and not CD...)
Rob Berendt
midrange.com
