text:
Your location is outside the National Library of Australia. Resources you can access:
|Show by title
|Displaying page
State Library of South Australia: This index contains many thousands of references to South Australian newspaper and magazine stories for the years 1837 to 1937. It also includes extensive selected text from the indexed publications, other primary and secondary sources and numerous extracts from Mr Manning's own writings. Notable publications (selectively) indexed include Adelaide Times, Advertiser, Chronicle, The Critic, Express & Telegraph, Frearson's Weekly, The Herald, Illustrated Adelaide Post, The Irish Harp, The Lantern, The Mail, The News, Observer, Register, SA Gazette & Mining Journal, and Southern Australian. The index is divided into the four folders: South Australia - includes coverage of a number of state level topics; Adelaide - includes a number of topics which predominately relate to the city and the metropolitan area as a whole; Port Adelaide; and Place Names of South Australia - an alphabetical list of South Australian place names (including suburbs of Adelaide). Biographical references are generally located on pages dealing with the place or activity with which a person is most associated. For example, several references to aviator Jimmy Melrose can be found in the entry for Melrose Park. Many Place Name pages have a list of obituaries of notable residents - generally at the bottom of the page or part of page dealing with the place.


text:
As of last week, what I knew about Beirut could fit in a sandwich bag. What I knew about being a blue-haired, 72-year-old woman, never mind a widow and a shut-in, was a whole lot less. Now, one week later, I'm much more informed, and I'm happy to encourage you to become so, too.
An Unnecessary Woman is the latest novel from Lebanese-American writer Rabih Alameddine. It's a portrait of an isolated woman with a dazzling mind as she comes to grips with getting old. Alameddine's narrator is named Aaliya. She lives alone in Beirut, in the apartment she used to share with her husband before they divorced. Previously she ran a bookstore. Now she stays at home. Her life is pretty bare, mostly about books: reading constantly, then, once a year, translating a favorite volume into Arabic.
Her translations, however, are completely for herself. No one else even knows they exist. Anna Karenina, by Tolstoy. Austerlitz, by W.G. Sebald. The manuscripts sit stored in boxes in her apartment, collecting dust, as secluded as their translator — all 37 of them.
And that is pretty much the entire novel's plot.
But somehow there's still room for sex, guns and Gustav Mahler. I can't remember the last time I was so gripped simply by a novel's voice. Alameddine makes it clear that a sheltered life is not necessarily a shuttered one. Aaliya is thoughtful, she's complex, she's humorous and critical. A neighbor's movements upstairs, a sip from a glass of red wine at dinner — the smallest things inspire sequences of memories, ideas, quotations from her favorite authors. It's the drama of daily life, only highly informed.
Which could be tedious if Aaliya wasn't so unconventional, and possessed with enough awareness to avoid being self-absorbed. Aaliya's also devoted to Beirut, its gossip and turmoil. She makes the reader want to love her city, too, even while relating what it was like to live through years of fear and violence. "Beirut," she says, "is the Elizabeth Taylor of cities: insane, beautiful, tacky, falling apart, aging, and forever drama laden. She'll also marry any infatuated suitor who promises to make her life more comfortable, no matter how inappropriate he is."
Then there's the story of how Aaliya herself came to sleep at night with an AK-47 rifle in her bed instead of a husband, but I'll leave that up to the reader to discover.
When asked recently during an interview what this book is about, Alameddine referenced the poet Allan Grossman: "A poem is about something like a cat is about the house." Which I'll take to mean that An Unnecessary Woman is about nothing at all — and, at the same time, about everything that counts.
The novels of Rabih Alameddine are famously varied. His first touched on the American AIDS epidemic, and the civil war in Lebanon. His follow-up was a story made up entirely of first chapters. In 2008, his book "The Hakawati" wove together ancient tales from the Middle East with others from the present day.
Well, Alameddine's latest novel covers a little less territory. In fact, it takes place mostly in the mind of one woman. But reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin says that one inner life is plenty.
ROSECRANS BALDWIN, BYLINE: As of last week, what I knew about Beirut could basically fit inside a sandwich bag. What I knew about being a blue-haired, 72-year-old woman, never mind a divorcee and a shut-in, was even less. But then I read "An Unnecessary Woman" by the Lebanese-American writer Rabih Alameddine, and I'm happy to encourage you to do the same. The book is a portrait of an isolated woman with a dazzling mind. She's our narrator, Aaliya, and she's coming to grips with getting old.
Aaliya used to run a bookstore. Now, she stays at home in the Beirut apartment she once shared with her husband. Her life is pretty bare. She mostly reads books. But once a year, she translates one of her favorites into Arabic. These manuscripts sit in boxes around her apartment, collecting dust, as secluded as their translator, all 37 of them. And that's pretty much the plot of this novel. But somehow, there's still room for sex and guns and Gustav Mahler, and it's told in a voice that's incredibly gripping.
Alameddine makes it clear that a sheltered life is not necessarily a shuttered one. Aaliya is thoughtful. She's complex. She's funny and critical. A neighbor chatting upstairs, a glass of red wine at dinner, the smallest things inspire memories and ideas, quotes from her favorite authors. It's the drama of daily life, only highly informed. And it could be highly tedious if Aaliya wasn't so unconventional and self-aware. She's also devoted to Beirut, with its gossip and turmoil. And she made me love it, too, even when she relates what it was like living through years of fear and violence.
Beirut, she says, is the Elizabeth Taylor of cities: insane, beautiful, tacky, falling apart, aging and forever drama laden. Then there's the story of how Aaliya came to sleep with an AK-47 in her bed instead of a husband. But I'll leave that for you to discover.
Recently, an interviewer asked Alameddine what this book was about. He answered with a nod to the poet Allan Grossman: A poem is about something, like a cat is about the house, which I'll take to mean that "An Unnecessary Woman" is about nothing at all and, at the same time, about everything that counts.
BLOCK: That was Rosecrans Baldwin reviewing "An Unnecessary Woman," a new novel by Rabih Alameddine. Rosecrans Baldwin's latest book is "Paris, I love You but You're Bringing Me Down." Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
INDIAN LAND - The Indian Land High School family is mourning the death of one of their own.
Derek Hammaker, a senior at the school, died Sunday night in a two-vehicle accident in York County.
Hammaker, 18, was driving east on S.C. 160 in a 1994 Honda sedan when he collided head-on about 10:45 p.m. with a 2007 Toyota Tacoma, said Lance Cpl. Josef Robinson of the S.C. Highway Patrol.
Hammaker was flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where he died from injuries he suffered in the crash.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Lancaster News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
If you are new to the award winning Lancaster News and wish to get a subscription or simply gain access to our online content then please enter your ZIP code below and continue to setup your account.
|ZIP Code:


text:
FORT WAYNE, IN. (WKYT) -- You might have seen the video on Facebook and YouTube. A family in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who are also die hard Hoosier fans, are highlighting UK's last second loss last year against IU.
The home has gained national attention, with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
You can actually turn the radio dial to hear the call as Christian Watford made the game-winning three-pointer.
The Giradots say they were inspired when the shot when in.
"You know we were excited, and as IU fans we were jumping up and down and we just thought that next year when we do our lights, that'd be a cool thing to put on there," said Missy Giradot. "We just figured people would enjoy it."
To watch the video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYj5BlkyZgo


text:
Class Apart: American Experience at 8 p.m. Monday tells the little-known story of a band of underdog Mexican-American lawyers who took their case, Hernandez v. Texas, all the way to the Supreme Court, where they successfully challenged Jim Crow-style discrimination against Mexican Americans
Through intimate first-person storytelling, rare film and photos, and exuberant music, Chicano Rock! The Sounds of East Los Angeles at 9 p.m. Monday tells the story of generations of young Mexican-Americans who proudly expressed their identity through music.
Voces: Celia The Queen at 10 p.m. Monday explores the life and legacy of Cuban singer Celia Cruz, whose voice symbolized the soul of a nation and captured the hearts of fans worldwide.
From the edge of a volcano in Hawaii to the Alaskan wilderness to the rugged mountain peaks and pristine lakes of the Rockies, Great Lodges of the National Parks at 7 p.m. Tuesday tells the stories behind these national treasures and showcases the many ways to enjoy the awe-inspiring beauty of America's national parks.
Frontline at 8 p.m. Tuesday examines the controversy behind physician-assisted suicide and ponders a question that has been debated for centuries: Do we have the right to end our lives if life itself becomes unbearable, or when we enter the late stages of painful, terminal illness?
Independent Lens presents the story of how the simple act of planting trees lead one woman to winning the Nobel Peace Prize in "Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai" at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
With a diverse line-up of seven talented artists, Texas Burning: A Lone Star Salute to Our Troops at 10 p.m. Tuesday and 9 p.m. Thursday features remarkable performances in a variety of genres originating from deep in the heart of San Antonio.
Narrated by Nova's Neil deGrasse Tyson, 400 Years of the Telescope at 7 p.m. Wednesday takes viewers on a sweeping journey from 1609, when Galileo revealed mankind's place in the galaxy, to today's quests to discover new worlds in the infinite universe.
Nova miniseries "Hunting The Edge of Space" at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday examines how the telescope has fundamentally changed our understanding of our place in the world and a new generation of ever-larger instruments is poised to reveal answers to longstanding questions about our universe.
Singer/songwriter Patty Griffin and her musical friends take the Austin City Limits stage at 10 p.m. Wednesday and 9 p.m. Friday to sing an assortment of original and classic gospel numbers.
Comedian, actor and writer Wyatt Cenac discusses his career on Overheard with Evan Smith at 7 p.m. Thursday and 8:30 p.m. Friday.
KLRU presents the three part Wine Roads of Texas documentary back-to-back starting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Episode one at 7:30 p.m. takes viewers through the wildflowers and back roads of the famous Texas Hill Country with stops at Becker Vineyards, Flat Creek Estates, Alamosa Vineyards, and Fall Creek Vineyards. Episode two at 8 p.m. takes viewers on a trip through West Texas where the modern Texas wine industry was born. Episode three at 8:30 p.m. leads viewers from the sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast to the busy "Metroplex" of Dallas-Fort Worth visiting Messina Hof Winery, Haak Vineyards, Homestead Winery, and Crossroads Winery.
Grammy Award-winners the Foo Fighters perform songs from their latest album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, on Austin City Limits at 7 p.m. Saturday.


text:
Tribe wins triangular match; other matches involving Dwight and El Paso-Gridley, and Lexington
All four of Pontiac's scoring players tallied the four lowest scores as the Indians easily garnered a pair of wins in a triangular match Wednesday afternoon at Highland Park Golf Course.
Kyle Eggenberger led the PTHS charge with a 37 and Hagen LePard checked in with a 38 as the Tribe tallied a 155. Trent Smith and Eric Raube each carded a 40 to complete the scoring. Michael Edinger and Parker Tibbs each shot 43.
Streator was second with a 174 and host Bloomington came in at 181.
Cole Finnegan shot 40 in leading Pontiac in the junior varsity match. The Indians finished with a 190 while Streator was second at 197 and Bloomington had a 238.
Matthew Schrock shot a 44, Justin Rich had a 51 and Alex Olson and Michel Shelby each netted a 55.
EL PASO — Michael Mounce was low player in leading El Paso-Gridley to a 151-176 win over Dwight in a match at El Paso Golf Course.
Mounce led the Titans with a medalist round of even-par 35. Brandon Mounce carded a 37 and Kyle Colmone had a 39. Tyler Ramsey finished the scoring with a 40. Derek Zielsdorf came in at 43 and Trent Zielsdorf had a 45.
Karsen Kopmann shot 40 to lead the Trojans. Nathan Zabel added a 42, Bryce Mortensen had a 45 and Ryan Folkers shot 49. Seth Galloway (52) and Andy Froelich (53) also played.
EPG took the junior varsity match 196-228. Tanner Scheiber and Rhys Payton each shot 48 to lead the Titans. Brady Colburn added a 49 and Brody Duncan came in at 51.
Drew Hansen led the DTHS scoring with a 49. Nick Schultz had a 53 and Drew Jensen and Noah Nutting each shot 58.
EL PASO — Chase Payne was the medalist as Lexington defeated LeRoy 184-210 at El Paso Golf Course.
Payne shot 42 for the Minutemen. He was followed in the scoring column by Carter Jacobs (44), Bradley Surma (49) and Jake Martin (49). Cassidy Weis and Tommy Kraft each shot 52.


text:
The Associated Press is reporting that a former aide to Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll has accused her former boss of having an improper relationship with an assistant and secretly taping several conversations.
In an explosive press release last month, Carletha Cole--a former aide who is facing criminal charges for allegedly secretly taping a conversation with Carroll's chief of staff--accused Carroll of a number of wrongdoings, including "misuse of office for sexual escapades."
Carroll has flatly denied the allegations.
The AP has the story:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- An ongoing criminal case against a former top aide to Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll is transforming into a swirl of allegations about improper relationships, widespread illegal taping and other incidents inside Carroll's office.
The allegations, which Carroll denies, were included in a court filing made late last week by the attorney representing Carletha Cole, who was arrested last October on charges that she gave an illegally taped conversation with another Carroll aide to a newspaper reporter.
The court filing was made in response to a push by prosecutors to keep confidential information that Cole's attorneys wanted to use as possible evidence in the case.
In the filing, Cole contends that she witnessed Carroll and a top aide in a "compromising position" inside Carroll's office, that Carroll's chief of staff secretly recorded conversations routinely at the direction of those working for Gov. Rick Scott, and that the trash can at Cole's desk might have been deliberately set ablaze following an argument between her and the aide.


text:
Carlucci's flaming coffee
After-dinner drinks don't get much hotter than Carlucci's signature flaming coffee. It's made with Bailey's and Grand Marnier, topped off with coffee and a caramelized cinnamon sugar rim and garnished with an orange slice. The liquor is warmed table-side by lighting it on fire. The flaming coffee is offered throughout the winter for $9.95. Carlucci Restaurant, 1801 Butterfield Road, Downers Grove. (630) 512-0990 or carluccidownersgrove.com.
Aliano's game day
When the Bears take the field, fans can take to Aliano's Ristorante for game day specials that include $2 domestic bottles and $4 select import bottles. Buy a pizza and get a second one for half off. Raffles every quarter include payouts of Bears gear and Aliano's gift certificates. Aliano's Ristorante, 90 N. Island Ave., Batavia. (630) 406-9400 or alianosbatavia.com.


text:
Click a swatch below to change colors.
Port & Company® - All-American Pocket Tee. USA100P
Our All-American Tee is 100% made in the USA. From the cotton to the fabric manufacturing to the sewing of the finished tee, our All-American Tees help create and sustain jobs right here in America.
Due to the nature of 50/50 cotton/polyester neon fabrics, special care must be taken throughout the printing process.
Adult Sizes: S-4XL
Price starts at: $9.46
For detailed PRICING, please select "Add to
" to view the ordering/pricing grid.


text:
Law school applications plummet
Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalImages.net
With all of the recent controversies surrounding the number of jobs law school graduates are actually getting, the idea of going to law school is starting to become less appealing, especially when you start to consider the ridiculous cost of law school.
Now comes word that applications in this admissions cycle appear to be in something like free fall. As of December 7th, they are down 24.6% from the same time last year, while the total number of applicants has declined by 22.4% year over year. These numbers suggest that law schools will have a total of somewhere between 52,000 and 53,000 applicants to choose from in this cycle, i.e., slightly more than half as many as in 2004, when there were 188 ABA accredited law schools (there are 201 at the moment, with an emphasis on "at the moment").
To put that number in perspective, law schools admitted 60,400 first year JD students two years ago. Since a significant percentage of applicants are unwilling to consider enrolling at any school below a certain hierarchical level, and/or will decline to enroll at certain other schools without receiving massive discounts on the advertised tuition price, these numbers portend fiscal calamity for more than a few schools. But out of that calamity will come the beginnings of a more rational and just system of legal education for the next generation of lawyers.
Things are going to have to change. Students don't want to do into debt and then end up without a job. The entire notion is silly.
The third year of law school is often a complete waste of time. Law schools should take a serious look at finding ways to give students internships for the third year where they can learn how to actually practice law while making money to pay for their tuition.
Posted in: Your Career, Your Education


text:
Submission + - World of Commodore 2009 (worldofcommodore.ca)
Leif_Bloomquist writes: The Toronto PET Users Group, the the longest continually operating Commodore users group in the world, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary and hosting The World of Commodore on December 5th in Toronto, Canada. There will be demonstrations of new and classic hardware and software, screenings of Commodore related videos, vendors, a raffle, and more. There will also be a 'freebie' table where you can drop off any Commodore items you no longer want and help yourself to some goodies.


text:
A Gourdon takeaway has been recognised as having the best chips in and around the 'Granite City' and Aberdeenshire, in an online vote.
Hornblowers was picked for the top award by members of the public who voted online in The Choice Chip Awards.
It is the second year running that the fish and chip shop has won the award.
The takeaway, which is situated under the main restaurant beside the picturesque 19th century harbour, came top out of the 100-or-so chippies competing in Aberdeen and the Shire for the competition, which was run by the National Potato Council.
Owners Alex and Ruth Grahame said they were delighted at being voted as having the best chips in the area.
Alex said: "This is, if you excuse the pun, chip-tastic news.
"We were delighted enough at being nominated, so for the people of Aberdeenshire to vote for us as having the best chips in the area is just amazing. Our staff are so happy with the accolade too. They work hard to ensure every portion of chips is of the highest quality and that we have great customer service so people come back again and again.
"We are rightly proud of our chips – our potatoes are sourced locally from WM Fraser in Potterton – and our fish, which is chosen from the best landed that morning at Gourdon and Peterhead."


text:
There will be little reprieve from high temperatures in Brisbane today, with the mercury tipped to reach 33 degrees.
Although the trough responsible for yesterday's 37-plus-degree heat will push off the coast today, maximum temperatures in the state's south-east will not fall below 30 degrees until Thursday.
"There will be a bit of a lag between the trough moving off the coast and our cooler air arriving," Bureau of Meteorology forecaster David Grant said.
An enhanced fire danger for Brisbane is expected to continue today, even as temperatures drop back slightly.
There are about 30 bushfires burning across the state, however none are considered a major threat to property.
Northeasterly winds will foster a cool change in the state's south-east over the weekend, when temperatures around 28 degrees are expected, Mr Grant said.
The temperature climbed rapidly yesterday as westerly winds brought hot air from the country's interior to the coast.
By 8am, the temperature had already exceeded 27 degrees and at 10am the Bureau of Meteorology recorded 33 degrees in Brisbane.
By noon the mercury had reached 34.6 degrees.
It peaked at 3.23pm, with 37.9 degrees recorded in Brisbane city.
Amberley and Ipswich recorded a maximum temperature of 38.1 degrees.
Electricity demand continued to grow as the temperature increased yesterday; at 3.30pm, Energex said usage as extreme, with 4310 megawatts being drawn, down from 4520 megawatts earlier in the day, and short of the 4636 megawatt record set in February in 2010.
Brisbane last experienced a December top of 39 degrees was Boxing Day 2001.
But the hottest December day on record came on December 7, 1981, when the mercury topped 41.2 degrees.
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service has mustered additional resources across the state's south-east with extreme fire warnings current.
A strike team from Toowoomba arrived in Roma on Sunday and incident control points have been established in Warwick, Dalby and Roma.
Six water bombers and two aerial support aircraft are also positioned across various parts of south western Queensland.
Queensland Health has urged residents to drink plenty of fluids and remain in air-conditioning where possible to avoid suffering heat stroke or exhaustion.
Residents are also asked to check on elderly neighbours, or friends and family, who may be more vulnerable in the hot weather.
Heat exhaustion usually develops over a couple of days. Symptoms may include muscle cramps, heavy sweating, paleness, dizziness, nausea or vomiting and fainting.
People suffering heat stroke require urgent medical attention.
Tips to prevent heat-related illnesses:
- Drink plenty of fluids - cool water is best. Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink, but drink regularly throughout the day. Urine colour is a good guide to hydration - it should be clear to light straw-coloured, not dark or gold.
- Stay indoors in very hot weather, preferably in an air-conditioned building or ensure there is good air flow with fans and open windows.
- Public venues, such as air-conditioned shopping centres and pools, can provide refuge from the heat.
- People can also stay cool by taking cool showers or baths; soaking their feet in a basin of water; or wetting a bandanna or washer and wrapping it around their neck.


text:
I'm having a hard time understanding how someone with a CS or Software Engineering degree could end up in your position though. (Maybe I'm ignorant...)
I will give you the answer; the companies that hire BSc graduates in "IT" tend to be call centers and help desk type companies. In the 1990s you could go straight out of college and land an 80K per year job. These days you are lucky to land a help desk job. Of course the more successful people will have embellished their experiences on their resumes and with their references. The smart people often end up programming in their parents basement.
100% correct. Law Firms are hell holes to work for - and I'm an attorney! You only see the tip of the political iceberg in those operations.
I've represented over a dozen IT professionals out of the banking industry and age discrimination / outsourcing are so common that you might as well learn to speak Hindi.
Find a medium-sized 3'rd party tech support operation - go to school too - but contemplate broadening your skill set beyond pure IT - take a year to go to the Vancouver Film School and earn one of their computer-based degrees (animation, sound recording/transformation) and lateral into the production industry.
Find a medium-sized 3'rd party tech support operation - go to school too - but contemplate broadening your skill set beyond pure IT - take a year to go to the Vancouver Film School and earn one of their computer-based degrees (animation, sound recording/transformation) and lateral into the production industry.
As a person who went to school for computer animation and now works in IT...
Good luck with that!
Really, unless you are doing animation for yourself or live in California, then you're not going to make
Submitter here. I current hold a upper-second class (the next step down from a first class, don't know how American colleges grade their awards) honours BSc in Comp Sci from a reasonably well-respected UK university. So I meet the criteria for most Computer Science Masters courses that I have come across.
Regarding your confusion of my current position, when I first graduated I was unsure if I was suitable for any kind of development role, which I suppose is the avenue taken by a large proportion of Comp Sci graduates. I was good enough at programming to pass the modules, but I never really programmed for pleasure or got involved beyond what was required of me academically. I know that makes me a blasphemer and a poser on here!
I worked in unrelated fields for a couple of years, which wasn't terrible as I paid off a lot of debt, especially at the beginning while living with the parents. My current job is my first 'proper' IT role, and considering my initial circumstances it seemed like quite a good first rung of the ladder. However, I have felt for quite a while that I both wanted to leave my current area of residence as well as thinking that this job is not right for me. It just feels like the right time to start planning a clean break, and soon, especially with the new academic year creeping up.
I have enough money saved up to live and study for a whole year, so the finance side of a Masters is not the major hurdle if the qualification would be worthwhile. I quite like the idea of going back to academia and taking it seriously this time, no more skipping lectures due to hangovers and doing it half-assed like my Bachelors. Working with colleagues that are involved with data management and web development as part of their own roles, and finding it quite interesting from where I stand, I have been looking at Masters programmes that specialise in these areas, rather than just do another year of general Comp Sci. There aren't that many programmes in these areas so my options are limited but still out there.
It really depends on the type of service desk you work at. If you are in a service desk that cares about metrics like time taken on a call, then get out. Now. If you are on a service desk that values root cause analysis and real problem resolution, then stick around and try to get promoted up levels. Most of these service desks have a lot of high value components that are important enough that they'll appreciate you figuring out the actual problem and advising or implementing solutions that prevent further issues in the future.
I work on a service desk for a multi-national corporation supporting one of their software products. However, this software interacts with a lot of cool technologies that make life interesting - directory services, databases, packet analysis, network discovery, etc. There are enough components to the product itself that problems reported can be very interesting to troubleshoot, and I've learned a lot on the job. It also gives me the opportunity to read up on technologies I've never heard of before, or that I'm interested in. I'm fairly certain I'm seen as a reasonably valuable member of the team, so I get a lot of job satisfaction from what I do.
The rule of thumb, IMO, is that if you aren't learning anything new, then you're stagnating and it's probably time to get out of the job.
Oh. You're in the _UK_. Learn Linux: my professional colleague in London is having to beat off recruiters, even in this economy, and they keep trying to hire him for work in Scotland and Geneva as well. The support and systems administration roles available to a someone who can work in a mixed Linux/Windows, or Linux/Windows/Mac environment, are very active as companies try to stretch their finances for new servers and services.
School is great for your resume: but so is experience with fields that are growing and likely to remain in demand.
my professional colleague in London is having to beat off recruiters
Dear god, is that how you get a recruiters attention in the UK? I hope he at least calls you the next morning or sends flowers or something.
I've noticed that most people are getting smarter, understand technology, privacy, business, free enterprise, propoganda, and are becoming less reliant on help desks, friends, church groups, retailers, and especially the government for help.
Just stick with it, I'm sure it will get better! How bad can it really be, they are just lawyers?
" I'd like to remain in IT, but in less of a front-line role where I can actually get some work done without being interrupted every five minutes by a jamming printer or frozen instance of Outlook."
Um. If you are on the helpdesk - unjamming printers and unfreezing outlook is your job. Your work isn't being interrupted every five minutes, but rather you are being called on to do your job every five minutes.
IT is a support function, deal with it or find a different career field.
Yes, being interrupted while reading from / posting to Slashdot is just awful!
You can also get pinned down by URGENT FIX THIS issues to the point that you can't make substantial upgrades to improve the overall situation. For example, so busy removing viruses you can't deploy more effective means to fight them in general.
I never understood why this is supposedly frustrating. In short, ineffectiveness is job security. I remember having a self-drawn roadmap at my last job. Every time I'd be called down for must-do sales support quick fix project, I would tell them how much time this would take off of accomplishing my larger projects. I t was all the same to me, just as long as nobody could blame me for missing deadlines I wasn't allowed to abide by.
Eight hours is eight hours. If I'm not the one prioritizing my projects, I'm not going to sweat the results of those priorities.
Um. If you are on the helpdesk - unjamming printers and unfreezing outlook is your job. Your work isn't being interrupted every five minutes, but rather you are being called on to do your job every five minutes.
To be fair, in a 200 person shop, he may also be expected to do sysadmin duties as well as helpdesk. It tends to get lumped together a lot. But even as a sysadmin, your job is ultimately to serve the company and it's clients, and in a small to midsize company, that means rebooting the boss' PC every now and then. Try to take pride in the fact that you tangibly made his life slightly better.
My role in a similarly sized company is basically sysadmin without the title, so I feel for you. There are days I'd love to play with the tech and roll out cool things, and it does get annoying to handle the level 2 stuff (fortunately, I have a part-time helpdesk guy for the basics).
One tip would be to get an intern, and dump some of the support tickets on them. Honestly, I'm not sure how viable a solution that is (I'd be eager to hear others experiences), because I don't know if a CS person will want an internship like that. But maybe someone from a business background would be intrigued; you likely touch every part of the business, and there could be appeal there.
If you're interested in web development, heck, just do it! Do your own site. Do your friends' sites, though set some clear boundaries. This will get you estimating experience, and you can play with whatever strikes your fancy. Then hit up some local small businesses and do their sites. Use that experience to get your next job. A CS Masters seems like overkill for web development. I can't say I know one, but then again, see my second paragraph.
The last thing I'd suggest is to get yourself involved on larger projects in the company. I don't always think to ask my helpdesk guy to help out, but I'm glad when he volunteers. This is a way to learn the tech, the business, and all those fuzzy skills that we don't think should matter but really, really do.
he works at a lawfirm. they are probably still running wordperfect 4.2 on windows me
IT is a support function, deal with it or find a different career field.
10. This
20. Goto 10
Seriously, having spent 15+ years in IT in one role or another (helpdesk, helpdesk manager, helpdesk product manager, presales support, operations manager, consultant) I've seen my fair share of things. I've been on top of the world and on top of my game. I've been burnt out and taken a year off to work in a coffee shop (best thing I ever did, by the way.) I've hired hundreds of support techs. And as I am sitting in a hotel room 1000 miles from home, have a raging case of insomnia and am feeling a little philosophical tonight, I have a word or wisdom or two that I want to share.
First of all: Why do you "want to remain in IT"? Is it because you enjoy technology? If that's the case, perhaps you should consider a different field? There's no law that says you have to make your hobby your job. In fact, you run the risk of spoiling the joy that drew you to it in the first place. If you are in technology because you love playing with what's new, keep reading Slashdot and buy the toys that interest you. Then go discover what you want to do with your life and do that.
Secondly: What do you want to do with your life? Does it involve serving other people? If it does: congratulations! IT is all about service. Seriously. Whether you are designing an application or supporting 200 lawyers/support staff, you are there to serve. You could get all gross and use old-fashioned phrases such as "cost center" or you could get all fancy and start to see the service you do as part of a larger path. This book changed some of my thinking on that. [lewisrichmond.com]. Either way, you can't escape the fact: IT is about service. Secret hint: Once you get this, you start to love your job.
Thirdly: Have you ever really thought about what you want to do with your life? I mean really thought about it? If not, perhaps you should take a year off and do something completely random. You talked about "moving back home" as an option which means you probably don't have a spouse/kids which means that you have the freedom to do something bold. Try something completely different. Work with your hands. I took a year off and worked in a coffee shop. It did wonders for my work ethic and sense of what service really is. (It also reminded me of what it is like to really make next to nothing.) Working with your hands is satisfying. You might just enjoy it more than you thought. This article [nytimes.com] in last month's New York Times makes the case for working with your hands. You should read it. Really.
Fourthly: Is it about the money? Be honest with yourself. Are you in IT because of the money? OK. In this field, we make more than people with equivalent amounts of education might make. At least a little more. For now. That probably won't last forever. But are you wanting to move into "databases" or "web development" because you think there will be more money there? Maybe if this was 1996 that would be true. Yes, there is still money to be made there. If you are talented and willing to work hard and be passionate about what you do. But that's sort of true of anything. A little luck and a lot of passion go a long way. (Or is it a lot of luck and a little passion?)
Finally: Relax. Unless you are extremely fortunate, you have no idea what you are going to do with the rest of your life. Few of us do. You'll bounce around and external situations and circumstances will dictate most of it. New inventions. Sick parents. A spouse or child who changes your perspective. Wars. Epidemics. The unknown. Who knows what will happen next? Stop thinking so much. Enjoy the ride. If you feel stuck, listen to yourself. Learn to listen to yourself. Ask yourself what you really want to
That was a good read. Thanks a lot.
I am at the point where I have to chose a working field and my studies give me a broad range of choices.
I love IT, have studied it both for my studies and on my free time. I never considered doing anything else
Like you've said, because I enjoy technology and love programming doesn't mean I *have* to work in IT.
More precisely, I don't feel like it's a field where I could stay a nice guy for too long.
And I don't want to become a BOFH (or similar).
Yet, cho
>Secondly: What do you want to do with your life?
You make some great points, but I disagree with this. This is baby-boomer baloney. It's rationalizing selfishness. There's no harm in it if "what you want to do with your life" is something worthwhile or even noble. But for most people, it's just a code word from socially acceptable narcissism. Me me me, is what it breaks down to.
But you give a lot of very heart-felt advice, most of it good. That's a nice thing to do for a guy who seems to be at his
You forgot to start this with:
>If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience
and end it with:
>But trust me on the sunscreen...
Otherwise.. a nice post
I'm in the same helpdesk hell situation.. it's been a real turnoff for advancing further into IT and I'm doing evening classes in something completely different (whether
That was really well written. Might I suggest a more poetic way of saying the same thing:
Work is love made visible
And if you cannot work with love but only
with distaste, it is better that you should
leave your work and sit at the gate of the
temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
For if you bake bread with indifference
you bake a bitter bread that feeds but half
man's hunger
And if you grudge the crushing of the
grapes, your grudge distills a poison in the wine
And if you sing though as angels,and
love not the singing, you muffle man's ears
to the voices of the day and the voices of
the night.
-Kahlil Gibran
(The rest of this particular bit can be found here: http://www.sfheart.com/work.html [sfheart.com])
Depends on your job.
More and more companies don't employ a full time helpdesk. Usually you're expected to do something "on the side", be it installations or even making strategic decisions. The smaller the company, the higher the chance that you won't be a full time computer monkey.
Now, as everyone who ever wrote a line of code will know, nothing kills your concentration more than a phone call. Well, except maybe your computer catching fire.
My ignorant opinion is to get more education. It's worth it, if you want it.
If full time isn't possible, do it correspondence/distance education.
Helldesk really is HELL.
It's amazing what padding your resume does. You have to take the first step.
As for moving back home, I wouldn't do that.
But if you get along with your family, I guess its an option.
You seem to be under the misapprehension that it gets better once you are out of the helpdesk. It only looks like it does. You get less stupid end-users, and more stupid bosses.
Get out, now, while you still can. Go get a degree in plumbing, or electrical work. (Heck, if you want to stay with computers, get certified to install fiber. It's only going to grow, and I've had trouble finding anyone to install it in the new house.) Something that doesn't expect you for the rest of your life to be answering the phone at 12:45am on random nights.
Got to run, the pager's going off...
Wow, you know what, I totally agree. You can ignore my large post elsewhere here about learning on your own. I agree, run. I double-agree, run to plumbing.
They have master degrees in "database" and "web development?"
Ahhhh, my Television is moving!!!
If you really want to stay in IT and don't want to learn a programming language learn a UNIX. Even half way decent UNIX admins are few and far between, I know a number of companies hiring.
Just download a BSD, Linux distro or Open Solaris and use that for your desktop at home. Tinker, read and study and you can get a job out of helpdesk.
To become a competent unix sysadmin, do what this guy says
The problem is that there are no certifications for linux that actually mean much of anything, unlike the windows world where you have the MS cert. Sure, there are a few companies that offer certs for linux but anyone who knows anything in HR will sneer at them as the meaningless drivel they are.
I actually don't know how people get involved in being sysadmins on unix systems, since it seems you need experience to get it.
The problem is that there are no certifications for linux that actually mean much of anything, unlike the windows world where you have the MS cert. Sure, there are a few companies that offer certs for linux but anyone who knows anything in HR will sneer at them as the meaningless drivel they are.
More relevant I think is to perhaps use a Unix to learn network related skills such as TCP/IP network design, DNS, mail routing, VOIP, etc.
Unix (or Windows) is a tool to accomplish a given task. Learn the fundamentals of what you are trying to do and how the protocols work together, and then you can apply this to whatever operating system you happen to get lumbered with by the bean counters or previous management/admin...
So yeah, download a free unix, but remember, its just a tool to achieve a desired service. Focus on the services (and how to diagnose them), rather than the actual particular software package so much. Knowing Linux's quirks (just for example) inside out won't do you any good if you're trying to support Windows or Solaris (or SCO or FreeBSD, etc)...
Keep your mind open, and get exposure to as many tools as possible, it will increase your opportunity for employment...
Hate to break it to you but you won't necessarily get away from distractions and you may not entirely move away from support. Every job I've ever worked in included distractions and some amount of support work.
I currently work as a software developer but I also work to troubleshoot the existing systems, and I do take second tier customer calls (so less problems, but usually harder ones). I even work shifts and do on-call support. My job's a good one - prestigeous, reasonable pay so I'm not complaining.
That's not to say I would rather be on a help desk, or that you shouldn't try to better yourself. Just make sure your expectations are realistic.
Two other things:
1. A masters may not help as a developer. I have a masters but it's in Astronomy and I did it with no intention of taking on Astronomy as a job. Every time I add the qualification to the list, HR takes it back off. I'm not even sure certain HR staff know the difference between Astronomy and Astrology.
2. You might find it easier to get your foot in the door somewhere else rather than try to move into a development role in your current company. If you're already doing a job well, the company has less incentive to move you elsewhere (until they realise you'll leave otherwise, by which time it's too late). It'll be tough in this market.
Go back to school. Have sex with college girls while you still can. Go to any open lectures and take some off the wall classes. Study abroad or save your money for six months and party in Brazil. Meet some people who have lofty ideas, and try to get jobs at companies with the same.
You aren't going to learn anything but how to take shit and wallow in misery at your current job. If you think that's a valuable skill that you need to learn, then stay.
sorry once you're past 25, they want nothing to do with you. undergrad at 25+ is a lonely and tiresome route. even stuff like group projects is tough because 18yos still think of themselves as kids and don't want to work with an 'adult'. maybe just getting certs is a better idea.
Way back in the day, I worked at Creative Labs tech support, and those of us in higher positions were made to sit on a Helpdesk, consisting of 4 stations. When an agent would get stumped, they'd call the helpdesk and get one of us at random. Now, some of the folks who had to sit on this thing were not the sharpest tools in the shed. So one day, to screw with a particularly stupid self important idiot, I sat next to him, just up the hunt group chain, so that if my phone was busy or didn't answer the call would go to him.
So I turned my phone down to almost no ring volume, and every time my phone would ring, I'd wait til the 3rd ring, point over to his phone, and say "Your phone will ring... now". The dumbass got mad because he couldn't figure out how I was doing it for over an hour.
I did of course, get a "stern" talking to afterward, BUT, the supervisor was doing his best to not laugh his ass off as he was telling me to please not do it again.
Aloha AC!
Ahhh yes... Good old Stillwater. I did my time @ Creative back in the day, and remember the second level helpdesk station quite vividly. And no I wasn't the victim of the prank.
I do remember working with a certain cute female, and there were some guys on the floor who would hang up on you, only to call back hoping they would get a chance to talk to the cute girl. hehe
Wow! I haven't thought about those days in a long long time.
It depends on if you want to be a database one trick pony or a programmer or a sysadmin.
A help desk job is where you cut your teeth for being a sysadmin. If you want to be a dba or programmer, you don't need any experience in the real world. You just go to school and hope it's real life.
If you are interested in being a sysadmin, then understand that you are supporting users, and there are sysadmins supporting you.
Hang out with them and ask them to show you how they do their jobs. Learn about the stuff schools can't and never will be able to afford to teach you. SAN's, Fiber switching, the proprietary tools for HP, Sun, IBM, Dell. Use lunch, free time, smoke breaks, after work- whatever.
Sysadmins always have job offers or know people at other companies with job offers that may not be at their level, but at yours. There is no downside.
Secondarily, you should take advantage of their education program. If it's a law firm, they have one. Put in for your RHCE or LPI or MCSE or whatever the hell it is you're working on. Buy or download the book and make them pay for the tests. A cert will get you more pay than a Master's in anything. Unless you are bucking for middle management or want to write obscure code, a Master's won't do dick.
If you really want to leave though- and you know this because you go home, lay in bed, and literally say "I have to get out of this place" every day- then leave. You ain't gonna learn shit. Follow your gut first, head second.
School is a fine fallback if you have money, but if you don't then guess what. This is your school. You won't ever forget working help desk. People in pain learn their maximum threshold for bullshit, so it's good to learn yours early so you don't spin out when you get a job that actually pays the bills. Helpdesk is hell by repetition. DBA, Sysadmin, and maybe Programmer are hell by catching shit from all sides.
I can't tell you what to do. I can tell you that I, and many of the people here, were in your exact position. If you don't want to kill yourself yet, then you aren't finished. Take advantage of what's around you and then opportunities will open up.
I'd like to remain in IT, but in less of a front-line role where I can actually get some work done without being interrupted every five minutes by a jamming printer or frozen instance of Outlook.
You work at a help desk, so it seems your job is getting in the way of whatever you prefer to work at. From your description it looks like you want to move into a managerial role of technical decision making. You can accomplish this by championing projects that you prefer to work on, or starting your own company. All an advanced degree will get you is a different entry-level position, where you'll still be interrupted every five minutes by something.
At some point you'll need to show independent leadership to get your preferred kind of job.
You might consider pursuing a job at a smaller organization where the IT department consists of you, possibly a non-profit. Compensation will be lower but there are often other "benefits" of working non-profit, such as reduced hours or a rewarding culture. These organizations are looking for somebody with experience but realize they can't afford the most experience. You'll get a lot of experience with a wide range of administration, preferably including managing a few servers, although you will still be working with the end users. Variety is wonderful, though.
Due to the current job market this plan may still leave you in your current position for a while, but that could be a good thing for your marketability anyway, as it's good not to look too fickle when an employer doesn't want to have to hire a replacement for you again in another 12-18 months.
"a rewarding culture"
Yes, Doctor, I know computers. You name it - *nix, Apple, Microsoft. Any hardware, any brand, it doesn't matter. I'm looking for a rewarding job. YIKES!!! WHAT ARE THOSE FIBERS GROWING OUT OF THOSE RATS?!?! Cultures, you say? Are they, like, CONTAGIOUS?!?!
*gulp* Yes, Doctor, I was looking for a cultured environment, but perhaps we don't speak the same brand of English. I'll get back to you, if I get terribly hungry, alright?
There are a few excellent reasons to go to school:
- your field has you using multi-million dollar equipment that you simply cannot access outside of the academic world
- you don't know what you want, and need someone to plot a course through life for you
- you can't read and need to be taught the alphabet
In this field, help-desk, databases, web-development are all the same:
- exceptionally well and accurately documented
- always using very inexpensive or free tools
- catering to intelligent people
If you want to learn web development, grab as many books as you like, read through MSDN and your favourite firefox wiki. Read, tinker, play. Read the HTML specifications. Keep playing. In school, you'd simply have shorter hours, and someone telling you to read chapter 1, then telling you to read chapter 2, then telling you to read chapter 3. Oh yeah, and they'd tell you that you read only 92% of chapter 2.
If you want to learn about databases, install mysql with about ten clicks, and read the mysql documention. It's not a puzzle, it's just a process. By the time you've read the, what 500 pages of syntax, you'll be able to play forever.
You don't need someone else telling you how to do something when it's written down. After all, there aren't that many people who know more about mysql than is written in the documentation. Maybe six of the people who built it. Everyone else simply read the documentation before you. Professors included. The story would be different if your goal were to build databases for enormous applications. But like I tell all of my clients when they ask if my selection of mysql as a database can meet their company's needs: "your company has 500 clients and 10 employees, the database world is concerned with millions of records. we'll talk again after your widget takes over manhattan".
The biggest reason to dodge formal education in these types of areas is that the curiculum is set-in-stone well before you start the course -- actually well before your sign up for the course, and even well before they decide to offer the course. So you're guaranteed to be learning old technologies. In this industry, six months counts as old. This all means that when you're done, and out, you won't have any confidence in your skills simply because you will not have used them in the real world. Academic assignments are useless.
So in the end, you'll have a very valuable piece of paper. It has the following values:
- you spent time and money to acquire it. that alone is an achievement recognized not only by many but will certainly be a point of pride for you.
- some others, namely
Clients will never ask you for credentials, or certificates, or diplomas, or degrees. Clients ask for guarantees, and you don't supply those either in our industry.
So if you really want to do something about your skills, then the following is what you truly desire:
- assistance (not guidance) in acquiring the skills
- a forum for testing and experimenting with those skills
- confidence in those skills
- an understanding of the applications of those skills
Then what you want is a job in a company where you will learn those skills on your own. Offer to work for very little pay. Either for businesses outside of the industry where they will benefit from whatever you actually can produce as you learn to produce it; or for a company in the industry who will gladly help to train you in the hopes that eventually you'll be good enou
So you're guaranteed to be learning old technologies. In this industry, six months counts as old.
Java 1.5 was released after I took Introduction to Programming (with Java 1.4). Three years after taking the course, I was TA'ing said course, with Java 1.5. I don't know exactly how fast the course got upgraded, but I also used Java 1.5 in my compiler course (the year before TA'ing, two years after IntroProg).
Also, studying CS is not about learning ephemeral technologies but eternal principles. It's only incidental that we express the principles in the languages du jour.
I haven't seen the revolt against the Church-Turing thesis, or Rice's Theorem, or against search trees (in particular B-trees on the disk for file systems and DB indexes), or against regexp lexers and LALR(1) parsers, or against relational algebra, or...
Hell Desk -> Desktop Support then branching off to Sys admin, DB admin, Network admin.
Edumacation is the way to go, its a wise investment.
I have been in many different aspects of I.T. from the HP helpdesk to a mom and pop repair shop and a network admin at a bank (current). I can tell you the scenery may change but the actual job does not you will still have end users asking questions and expecting help for some pretty strange and annoying things sometimes. It's the nature of the beast. I seem to think that any faucet of this industry will have that as it is community driven IE: people asking questions.
you could go back to school & work at the university while you're there. Generally, the IT Departments at universities are pretty big and they give you a good idea of anything you're going to encounter. At my university when someone shows initiative and they're competent and not a douche they pretty much always get the chance to prove themselves - ymmv, but I get the impression that quite a few universities are like this.
If you get on as a student, that's cool, part time, focus on school, show some initiative and try to get a full time job
If you get on as a full timer - awesome for you - most universities offer pretty good benefits, a lot of them include stuff like tuition wavers (full or partial - either way, you're going to end up paying less.)
and finally, working at a university IT department doesn't necessarily mean being in a support role -
our it department has an application development group, a services group (support), a project management group, a system administration/network admin group, a business group that handles contracts & such with other departments/companies, a research computing group (super computers), a dedicated security group, an administration group (payroll), and an HR group. Of those, sysadmins, services, and app devs have to do support. Everyone else is only rarely customer facing. The likelihood that you're going to get into the non-support groups right away is pretty slim, but movement has a tendency to be really fluid.
In case you didn't get the main point of this - the important thing is showing initiative. Show that you're interested in doing something new and interesting - show it by talking to people who do it already and trying to shadow them. Work with your bosses to get involved in projects, do things to get noticed. =)
With a 200 person law firm, you're probably the lowest of 2 or 3 people. Find a position somewhere where you're the jack-of-all-trades -- you do the tech support, server management, web development, purchasing, etc. You'll work long hours because the tech support prevents focused work on the other things, so be prepared. But you'll learn alot if you're driven and you can finally have "Server Administration" or "Web Design" on your resume. It won't get you into Google, but experience may get you a junior admin job.
To find this entry level everything job, look at 100 person or less businesses or colleges. Colleges will be easier as they aren't money driven.
Alternatively, in this job market, go to school.
It really depends - do you want to do a technical role? Or do you want to move into management. Here's assuming you want to stay in IT.
If you want to do a technical role, I'd second a few of the suggestions here that you should download a 'nix, install some tools and learn everything there is to know about that particular technology. Bonus points for picking something that can be carted cross-platform (SQL, XML etc).
Then you can start applying for junior roles in other companies "We require a junior DBA working on MS-SQL and Oracle...". If you're good enough, you won't stay junior for long. The software is out there and it's all free - start learning it!
If you want to move into management, you generally have two career paths - managing technology or managing people. Managing technology requires you to learn about things like data centre operations, Capacity Management, Availability Management, cost accounting and charging etc etc. All these things go into making the technology side hum ie "the hardware is working properly, and we know we can pay for it now, and in the future". Companies are screaming for this type of management as they realise that the old reactive model of bodging it up to get it working now, and panic buying stuff they don't really need isn't working. They're looking for people who can formulate an IT strategy and make it work in the real world.
If you want to manage people, then start looking at leadership books, guides and education. Do you want to manage a helpdesk (didn't think so). Maybe the relevant institute of management has a short course that you could do.
I made it past the helpdesk. I started off after high school building PCs and crawling under desks with CAT-5 between my teeth. I did that for 5 years, then was a sysadmin for a web hosting company for a year, then a service desk operator for 2, then a process specialist for another year. I've been in my current role as a process manager for just over a year making 6 figures.
It can be done, but you need to differentiate yourself. Lots of guys can fix a printer - but to really add value, figure out which companies are looking to extend themselves from a reactive environment to a proactive customer focussed one, and jump on board.
I answered the phones and staffed the front desk at the student help desk when I was in college. It was the best paid student job on campus - $10 per hour your first semester, and a lot of the time you weren't busy and could surf the net or do your homework. There were a few other Computer Science majors there with me, and we got to help out all levels of student, faculty, and staff with their problems. What I took away from that job is not that I dislike working in the service industry, but rather, that there were certain universal truths about end users that I couldn't learn about anywhere else.
The help desk is your opportunity to study the areas where computers and human interactions break down. Learning computer skills in some high level language like Java or C# while working at the help desk is a way to advance your career. Start out with a book, but have goals in mind. Computer Science education is all about leading you to the water. Buy or borrow a few good books, classic computer science texts, etc. Work through the examples and do the exercises when you're not on the phones.
Most importantly, design some UI on paper (I like graph paper for this because you draw a lot of boxes in designing UI). Figure out what you *want* the program to do when you click the buttons. Then use a free program like ant or Visual C# Express and build the UI. Take apart the generated code. Look at it. Study it. Solve a problem that is interesting to you. Do it for fun. If you don't enjoy making programs, then Computer Science is simply not for you. There are plenty of people in CS departments who are very smart and study very hard, but their heart is just not in it. You can tell because they stop writing software when the day is done.
If you want to practice on Linux and you have Windows, you can download Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (free) or VMWare player (also free) and install Ubuntu on a virtual drive. Put that virtual drive on a USB key chain or iPod, and you have a mobile development platform that you can take home. The internet is full of human knowledge on the subject of Computer Science and other computer topics. A degree from a reputable college or university is not necessarily a requirement.
But you need to prove to most engineering firms that you have what it takes, and the best paying jobs ($75K+ benefits) usually require solid interviewing and development demonstrations with someone who has 5 to 25 years of development experience and typically a Bachelors or advanced degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Math, Physics, or something equally challenging. A degree won't get you in the door though. We see tons of people straight out of college with their Sc.B. degree who can't solve a problem involving a linked list, binary search on an array, binary search tree, hash table, dealing with memory management, and many other problems you need to be able to solve on your own as an engineer.
I started writing code sometime around the age of 6 in the early 80's because I wanted to make a game. I ended up discovering that game writing is interesting, but what I love to write are tools that interact with pixels and musical notes. Software engineering can be grueling work. In my best weeks, I write hundreds of lines of code. In my worst weeks, I spend long hours debugging and poking and proding and pulling out all the tricks, but get no closer to solving a bug which eventually is found to be something trivial in another part of the code. Highs are higher than in technical support, but lows are awfully low, too.
Oh, and the next best tip is to learn a Unix (or Linux) some other poster said above.
Engineerus Originalus:
At the very pinnacle of the IT world, these are the people who invent the things that the rest of the IT world relies on for THEIR jobs. The ones who truly deserve the word "engineer" in their job titles. They work for places like Intel, Google, Microsoft, Cisco, etc. Getting here requires nothing less than a Master's degree.
Managerius Pseudogeek:
These people got a four-year CS degree and jumped straight into the job market. They lack the rigors of graduate school, and the practical knowledge that comes with real job experience and/or industry certifications. A lot of front-line software developers fall into this category, though all the really good ones actually belong to the species Scholarus Basementi (see below). In a healthy and growing economy, these folks can get jobs in a variety of fields, from webdev to DBA. In a down economy, they are frequently passed over by experienced people who are already in the industry and desperate to do whatever is necessary to stay there. It should be noted that this species belongs to the Genus Managerius because four-year degrees carry power in the corporate world, but these individuals lack the real intellectual rigor to rise to the top of their fields technically. This leaves middle management as the usual endpoint for their careers.
Genericus Certificans:
Probably the single largest species of IT professional, they bear a great superficial resemblance to Scholarus Basementi but lack the distinctive colors, odors, and sounds that Basemeni uses to distinguish itself when interacting socially. Many have two year Associate CS degrees, but the majority can be identified by the way they build their nests out of an accumulation of IT industry certifications. If you look inside their cubicle and find both Project+ AND "IBM Certified Solution Designer" certificates posted up then you know you've identified a Certificans. Older members of the species will still proudly display their Novell CNAs. Virtually all IT professionals with the word "Administrator" in their job title belong to this species, though the ones that self-identify as "BOFH" will desperately try to pass themselves off as Basmenti.
Scholarus Basmenti
This species is entirely self-taught, and their individual skill levels vary wildly. The less able members of this species frequently flock around the more advanced individuals in order to camouflage their weaknesses. These packs of Basmenti, led by an Alpha, are highly territorial and competitive. It is believed that their incessant desire to compete for control over FOSS projects or to get credit for "clever hacks" is rooted in their job insecurity. Those who are not unemployed are often found working entry-level helpdesk jobs. Those who do better economically are typically Alphas who went out and obtained a degree or an industry certification to validate their ample innate talents. Basmenti can easily be distinguished from Certificans when asked about their credentials. While Certificans will speak proudly of their achievements, Basmenti will ridicule their own credentials as "worthless paper" or boast about how they passed their exams hung over without bothering to study. Occasionally, especially talented Basmenti who also show aptitude forming healthy human relationships will be able to obtain Venture Capital and will eventually rise to the very top of the "Foo Chain." Once at this point, they will spend lots of the "Foo's" money to hire members of all three other species, who will look at the unschooled savant with naked resentment and envy.
My two cents:
Worked for a law firm ten years ago. IT, LAN manager, sys admin, help desk, information officer, palm engineer, etc.
Every one of the senior partners (there were 8) felt that he was my sole manager. They all felt they knew more about IT than I did. They routinely countered each other, sometimes just for spite. Huge, puffy, bloated egos. Lots of SHOUTING and panic'd staff - stress was so high that you could literally smell it. Politics. One told me to convert their 1.2 million WordPerfect
It all depends on what your IT department is set up like. Are your networking / server people working hand in hand with you? System Engineers (the server sysadds at my job) work hand in hand with the Service desk. If you are qualified, can show experience, and have a well written resume.. they will look at you when a position opens up. Same with the networking engineers.
I was in your position back in Dec. I asked the IT manager if they were looking for people and on what teams. He replied that they we
I personally would be happy if I could get a competent help desk monkey, but unfortunately after downsizing, I was lucky enough to have help desk monkey added to my network admin responsibilities. I'm going to make some assumptions here: You already have a bachelors degree, your work pays all or part of certification and/or formal education, and you actually like IT work.
First thing you need to do is get exposure to some of the things you think you may like to do in IT. Read about them, talk to admins, dba's, etc. in your own company, or find someone in another company you could talk to about their work.
Once you have a good idea what you want to do, start going to school or training courses for it. Whether you choose online training, night classes, etc. is up to you, but education will help you move out of help desk work.
You will also need hands on work aside from just learning about the trade you pick, so I would suggest (as other have) to load software at home and start working with it. Hands on work is an excellent complement to book learning, and will ensure you know the material.
As far as dealing with your current job while you are working towards your goal, it would help if you changed your attitude towards your work. Instead of getting pissed that you have to unjam paper or help someone with their software, try showing the person how they can fix it themselves. If they don't want to learn it, then that's fine. I think most people would rather not have to call someone and wait for help if they can fix the issue on their own. Get creative. If you are working towards being a DBA or web designer, try setting up a self-service web site where the user can type in a problem and your program lists common fixes. It would be a great way to get the experience you need and definitely something to put on your resume.
Remember that there are a lot of people without jobs, some with families, that would kill to just be getting a steady paycheck. Be thankful.
I was in a very similar situation when I was about 22 (I'm 29 now). I worked for a bank "holding" firm (which basically bought small community banks and used their resources to supposedly give bigger loans at any bank...but it seems their real motivation was to suck up as many smaller banks as possible, then sell the holding firm to Wells Fargo...go corporate!).
Anyway, I spent most of my days on the road for 3-4 hours, traveling to bank sites to do pretty lame things like install someone's keyboard and mous
it's pretty simple bud: if you think that databases or web development qualifies as a specialized comp. sci. area then you have either been mislead or are plain ignorant. more importantly, you should know that grad school is, generally, an extremely bad plan unless you're the peculiar kind of person that is really serious about your particular field. grad school will be _HELL_ if you don't love what you're doing. and to be honest, i don't think you love what you're doing.
Move to somewhere with very few people, like the Yukon Territory. That's how I started my IT career when it became obvious that in the big city it didn't matter how good I was, I was looking at doing my time in helpdesk. If you're serious about IT as a career, and can't stand doing your time on the line, that's one alternative. By the end of my 5 years up there I had run a regional ISP, and been the head network person for the Dept of Eduction. Also nothing makes you look good like being able to tell the cliche bear stories. My favorite though is the time the internet went out because a hunter with bad aim missed a moose and hit the waveguide on one of the microwave towers I was using!
Now here's the bad news:
I've been doing IT for almost 20 years, I manage the architecture team for a mid sized business with offices in 3 cities and 2 countries, I hold a CISSP and am responsible for the security of the company, and the owners/CEO/Execs STILL asks me to fix their computer. On the plus side I'd say my average between interruptions is down to about 20 mins. The interruptions tend to also be bigger problems. Some days I wish rebooting the PC would solve the tickets that get assigned to me, but my desktop support guy is good at that
Disraeli was pretty close: actually, there are Lies, Damn lies, Statistics, Benchmarks, and Delivery dates.


text:
Ladydrawers, the year-old comic strip focused on the male domination of its own medium, doesn't care how you interpret its name or pronounce it.
Whether to emphasize underthings or artists all depends on "what seems funniest" says Anne Elizabeth Moore, the Chicago-based founder of the collective of feminist comic-creators that predates the strip.
What the collective does care about is making an art form out of researching and publishing findings that others might write or talk about.
As one aspect of their double-meaning name suggests, they draw about it.
In June 2011, the first Ladydrawers strip appeared in the online publication TruthOut. The impetus was to provide a reaction to the attention-getting 2010 media-monitoring project called The Count, which tabulated and displayed the male-female gaps in a few "thought leader" journals and literary publications such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Harper's.
The strip responded to those findings and in a progression of frames turned the focus on its more permanent theme: how the comics business marginalizes female talent. A sampling of Marvel Comics' creators, for instance, were shown to be "88 percent dudes," a figure that rose even higher to 90 percent for independent (or indie) comics.
Since then, the loose-knit group of creators has produced over 20 strips, interviewed prominent women in the field and created an ongoing portrait of discrimination out of ongoing research and data gathering.
Not only are the major comics publishers printing more work by male creators, men are getting solicited, accepted and paid at a higher rate, says Moore, who has been researching gender issues in her field for a decade. "It's not even like the system has gone wrong; this is what the system is," she says.
Conversations about sexism, even numbers showing dismal women's representation, inevitably lead to skeptics saying that women don't like to make comics as much or they aren't as good or aren't submitting enough, says Moore.
Researching Their Retort
Ladydrawers' members wanted hard numbers to build their retorts. Once creators produce the data they publish their results in cartoon style.
In their first strip, artist "Marinaomi" and Moore wrote "comics have grown into a legitimate - and big money – business."
Some creators, such as Alison Bechdel, author of the new graphic memoir "Are You My Mother?" (and subject of a Ladydrawers interview), are getting considerable acclaim in conventional media.
But, as the Ladydrawers founders wrote, such successes are the exceptions: "More often than not, it's the female-identified creators who aren't being encouraged to submit work, aren't being sought out and aren't getting books turned into big movie deals."
The Ladydrawer collective numbers between 50-75 and trade off authorship as they quantify, critique and mock a range of topics.
Rachel N. Swanson, a member, recently blogged about Ladydrawers' structure. She called it "a spidery collection of research done by students, strips by established comics artists, anthologies by lesser known creators and, of course, all of the above in partnership with Anne Elizabeth Moore."
One strip looked at the rates at which companies publish comic creators by gender. Another exposed the prevalence of scantily clad cartoon characters. Transgender comic creators and female comic creators who use gender-neutral or male-sounding names is the subject of another line of Ladydrawers' research.
Most recently, in a widely-circulated edition of the strip called "Who Gets The Pie?," creators looked at the rate of submissions and acceptances by gender in a given pool.
Thinking Gender Politics
Moore began thinking about gender politics from her perch as an editor of a comics journal and later as an editor for the "Best American Comics" series, an annual anthology published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
She read far and wide and noticed that while the names of those who were getting published in vaunted venues were mostly male, the proportion of total work coming across her desk was not.
The cultural context was different, too.
"I saw that women artists' work got talked about differently than male artists did," she says. As one curator told her, female artists were praised as being talented "for women" but lacked a sufficient body of published work to rank among "the greats." To amass such a body of work, however, these female creators would have to contend with a biased industry and hurdles, with the reality. It was a Catch-22.
Moore began to think about collecting more data and talking to more people publicly about the issue. She raised the issue with her class at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was teaching.
"Things got crazy," Moore says, describing 15 male and female students sitting around a table bouncing ideas around. They were eager to put their rolodexes of comic creators at the service of numbers-based information that might actually make a difference.
Collective member Nicole Boyett started out as a student in Moore's class. She says the collective began with class members undertaking research projects in their free time, volunteers from outside of academia and professional cartoonists who came in to talk to the students.
"All of those people have each other's contact information and now if they have an idea, we can all just get down to work," Boyett says.
Community Building Experience
As the collective dug into the research, members found it helped to bond them together. "It's community-building, finding facts to confirm things you've experienced," Boyett adds.
Moore's gender-focused class at the art institute is called Ladydrawers but the collective has spread beyond it. "At this point, about 50-75 people identify under this name, participate on Tumblr, blog or are involved directly," she says, including men and transgender artists.
The collective has attracted fans and also alerted publishers to gender disparities and a new crop of comic creators outside the male mainstream. The artists have been labeled an "Internet crush" by bloggers at the feminist online pop-culture magazine Bitch and interviewed on National Public Radio.
Creators hope to produce a print-bound compilation of their comics and research called "Just the Facts: The Ladydrawers Big Book of Stats" for which they've launched a crowdfunding IndieGoGo project that will last through the summer.
And they want to expand their work. They hope to tackle the topics of gender, race and class in global pop culture. They want to help other art creators quantify their experience of discrimination.
They're aware of the risks, says Moore. But she says members are willing to put themselves and their careers on the line to hold their business accountable.
"For a long time it's really been based on my research and my set of queries," says Moore. But thanks to the energy behind Ladydrawers, "people are going to step into leadership roles and start conducting their own avenues of research."


text:
Release Notes: Localization was increased. User-defined comment thresholds and other SlashDot-style comment features were added. The template/skinning system was greatly simplified. Logging of search terms and error pages was introduced. User-access can now be controlled on a per-section basis. A CMS designed with mulitlingual objects was added to allow users to view your content in the language of their choice. The enhanced user interface is template based, so it is highly configurable, but is also designed for CSS/XHTML compliance.
Release Notes: This release adds a clean, accessible XHTML skin ("allcss") that is bilingual (en/fr) by default, eAdvocacy tools, and a tell-a-friend function.
Release Notes: Support for non-Latin character sets has been improved, and support for language dependent URLs was added. The block administration was extended to make it easier for administrators to manage. Better support for RSS 1.0 and subsite generation of newsfeeds was added. Improvements were made in accessibility and the use of XHTML conventions. Improvements were made in link pagination.
Release Notes: The primary security change in this release is that all user input is now filtered through the same class to ensure that it is not open to database exploits. A number of significant feature enhancements have also been included such as the undelete function for sections and articles as well as our first XHTML release.
Release Notes: The biggest change from the previous release is the versioning script which now allows administrators to keep track of changes to articles. This represents a significant enhancement to controlling work flow. BE_functions has also been re-organized to make it easier for new developers to understand the functions that are called in various BE pages. There's also a better implementation of CUPE's feedback module to allow administrators to keep track of feedback and track responses. There have been a number of other changes to fix bugs which have been discovered or enhance performance.
Release Notes: This security release includes several feature enhancements and code/performance optimizations. Upgrading is recommended for all users of 0.5.x and 0.7.x.
Release Notes: This version adds smarter unique auto URLname generator, clearing of the block cache with block cache button, a check4updates button, and a systems detail button. There were lots of improvements to the petition/followup class. The ability to edit petition participants has been improved. There was some cleaning up of global variables. The default value for petition checkboxes is now true. articleID and sectionID are no longer overwritten by an existing ID, there are checks to ensure that the parent section can is not also the child, and there is Dutch time formatting and language support.
Release Notes: This version features a number of modifications to make it easier to install, faster, and simpler to customize. Modifications include enhancements to the event calendar, template editor, cache code, and section editing.
Release Notes: This release is easier to use and has better performance. There are a lot of bugfixes and new documentation. Some contributed code is now weeded out from the core directories and moved to the contrib directories. The SQL has been updated to make the initial install easier. A couple of Javascript tools have been incorporated to make it easier to toggle checks and select all items in a drop down menu. The bibliography and gallery modules have been fixed and cleaned up. Existing blocks have been extended for greater user flexibility.
Release Notes: Corrections to remove some PHP notices, order-by functionality for links, articles, and sub-sections, a cleanup of the JavaScript tools, and upgraded petition code.


text:
After a game in which rookie quarterback Geno Smith tried to create his own take on the butt fumble, the originator has apparently decided he won't be suiting up for the Jets again this season.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, former Jets starter Mark Sanchez has decided to have shoulder surgery after attempting rehab, a decision which will require a 4- to 6-month rehab.
The Jets gave Sanchez a chance to come back by putting him on injured reserve-designated for return, but by having surgery, that won't be happening.
But with the team staking itself to Smith, it's hard to not read Sanchez's action as a swipe at the team, especially since they're on the hook for his $8 million salary this year, and were widely expected to move on without him next year.


text:
Course Catalog
ENGR5710 - Robotics and Automation
Fall 2013
This course will cover the applications of the principles of robotics and automation to design, develop, specify, implement and optimize work cells for various industrial applications such as materials handling, manufacturing operations, assembly and inspection. Integration of robots with other robots and automation devices, machine vision and sensors. Theory and application of ANSI/RIA Robot safety guidelines in work cells and robotic applications. 2 credits
Prerequisite: ENGR5010 or ENGR5020 or ENGR5030 Co-requisite: ENGR5715
2 Credits
Schedule Book for All Active and Available Future Terms, Course starting with ENGR5710
No Courses Found


text:
Old English freo "free, exempt from, not in bondage," also "noble; joyful," from Proto-Germanic *frijaz (cf. Old Frisian fri, Old Saxon and Old High German vri, German frei, Dutch vrij, Gothic freis "free"), from PIE *prijos "dear, beloved," from root *pri- "to love" (cf. Sanskrit priyah "own, dear, beloved," priyate "loves;" Old Church Slavonic prijati "to help," prijatelji "friend;" Welsh rhydd "free").
The primary sense seems to have been "beloved, friend, to love;" which in some languages (notably Germanic and Celtic) developed also a sense of "free," perhaps from the terms "beloved" or "friend" being applied to the free members of one's clan (as opposed to slaves, cf. Latin liberi, meaning both "free" and "children").
Cf. Gothic frijon "to love;" Old English freod "affection, friendship," friga "love," friðu "peace;" Old Norse friðr, German Friede "peace;" Old English freo "wife;" Old Norse Frigg "wife of Odin," literally "beloved" or "loving;" Middle Low German vrien "to take to wife, Dutch vrijen, German freien "to woo."
Of nations, "not subject to foreign rule or to despotism," it is recorded from late 14c. (Free world "non-communist nations" attested from 1950.) Sense of "given without cost" is 1580s, from notion of "free of cost." Free lunch, originally offered in bars to draw in business, by 1850, American English. Free pass on railways, etc., attested by 1850. Free speech in Britain used of a privilege in Parliament since the time of Henry VIII. In U.S., as a civil right, it became a prominent phrase in the debates over the Gag Rule (1836).
Free enterprise recorded from 1890; free trade is from 1823. Free will is from early 13c. Free association in psychology is from 1899. Free love "sexual liberation" attested from 1822. Free range (adj.) is attested by 1960. Free and easy "unrestrained" is from 1690s.
Old English freogan "to free, liberate, manumit," also "to love, think of lovingly, honor," from freo (see free (adj.)). Cf. Old Frisian fria "to make free;" Old Saxon friohan "to court, woo;" German befreien "to free," freien "to woo;" Old Norse frja "to love;" Gothic frijon "to love." Related: Freed; freeing.


text:
It�s a woman�s world at the 2014 Decatur Celebration with Grammy Award-winning rappers Salt-N-Pepa, country star Jo Dee Messina, contemporary Christian singer Jamie Grace and original riot grrl Joan Jett among the headliners.
Decatur Celebration announced the headliners at a luncheon event Friday at the Decatur Civic Center.
Also scheduled to perform: former �American Idol� champion Ruben Studdard, Christian band Royal Tailor, funk/R&B band Space Capone, and Led Zepplica, a Led Zeppelin tribute group.
Decatur Celebration is Aug. 1-3 in Decatur, about 40 miles east of Springfield. The outdoor event also features a parade, carnival rides food and vendor booths and other activities. Admission is free, but wristbands must be purchased to buy food and beverages at vendor booths.
Exact times and stage locations will be announced later. But here are this year�s headliners and some of their most popular songs.
Aug. 1
Ruben Studdard, the winner of Season 2 on �American Idol.� His hits include �Flying Without Wings,� �Sorry� and �Change Me.� His most recent album, �Unconditional Love,� reached No. 11 on the Billboard magazine R&B albums chart.
Jo Dee Messina, whose No. 1 country hits include �Bring on the Rain,� �My Give a Damn�s Busted,� �Bye Bye� and �Stand Beside Me.�
Aug. 2:
Space Capone, a dance/rock/funk band.
Royal Tailor, a contemporary Christian group whose hits include �Hold Me Together,� �Make a Move� and �Remain.� The band earned a Grammy Award nomination in 2012 for the album �Black & White.�
Led Zepplica, a tribute artist playing the music of Led Zeppelin (�Stairway to Heaven,� �Rock and Roll,� �Whole Lotta Love�).
Aug. 3
Salt-N- Pepa, the 1990s-2000s female rap group whose hits include �Push It,� �Whatta Man,� �Shoop,� and the Grammy Award-winning �None of Your Business.�
Joan Jett, the 1980s-1990s hard rocker whose hits include �I Love Rock and Roll,� �I Hate Myself For Loving You,� and �Crimson and Clover.� She�s also appeared in live productions of �The Rocky Horror Show.�
Jamie Grace, a contemporary Christian singer whose hits include �Beautiful Day,� �Hold Me� and �You Lead.� She was the 2012 new artist of the year at the Dove Awards sponsored by the Gospel Music Association.