[lpi-discuss] looking for courseware

[Alan McKinnon]

On Saturday, 14 May 2005 00:30, Jim Pye wrote:
> Alan McKinnon wrote:
>
> Alan
>
> Just a side track on this. TechRepublic had a thread started when a
> user asked if the IT industry had a preference for hiring younger
> people as they are more adaptable to change etc.
>
> One reply mentions that <paraphrasing> "the younger generation
> don't know, or need to know, what DOS is.."
>
> Check out
> http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=6&threadID=173
>272&start=0&tag=search
>
> For an interesting, and hotly debated, discussion on this.
>
> Now back to trimming that grey out of my beard :-) =

Now that's a nasty thread :-)

I'll bet it was started by a 20 year old youngster with all the 
vitality of youth and bugger all experience of wisdom. when they hit 
40 they realize what they never saw before - the kids keep on making 
the same mistakes the previous generation did, so the software gets 
more flashy, the banner ads bounce up and down faster, but the same 
bugs come back time after time.

We absolutely need the experienced fellows. They are _less_ redundant 
now than at any other time. 100 years ago we had a good system for 
artisans:

the old fellow was called a journeyman
the young fellow was called an apprentice
the apprentice hated the journeyman because the kid was forced to 
learn "irrelevant" stuff like how to file metal so it was flat.
10 years later the apprentice gained some wisdom and realised that 
metal blocks that are really flat are AGoodThing

C has always given us the ability to break our machines in a very 
efficient manner. C on modern cpus and networks gives us the ability 
to break our machines and _everyone_else's_ in a very efficient and 
extremely rapid manner. The old guys are the only line of defense 
against that anarchy. Some of the smart old guys now do training.

I think the real reason companies employ younger people is to get the 
monthly salary bill down. "Relevant current knowledge" is just an 
excuse. Plausible sounding, but utterly false.

Incidentally, the thing that gives me most trouble getting across in 
class is redirection and piping. The only students that really get 
this are those who remember DOS. I'll leave the possible reasons for 
this for another thread.

> > I yearn for the day when I can run boot a boot camp like Ross
> > does and have a class full of people that have already learned
> > why they do not work routinely as root.
>
> As Ross said "Buwahahahaha, then he woke up."
>
> As any instructor will tell you it will be a cold day in a very hot
> place when all students for a class turn up fully prepared having
> done any pre-course studies or reading. I have even attended some
> Novell ATTs where the attendees were not even at a basic admin
> level for the subject, but were sent there by their bosses
> expecting them to come away with all the knowledge to be an expert.
> ATT courses are aimed at experts. ATT = Advanced Technical
> Training.

yes, that was some truly wishful thinking on my part. But a man can 
dream can't he?

Again it's economics, just like hiring youngsters. the solution is in 
long-term relations with your corporate customers, and teaching the 
HR people that the long road is actually the short road. They do get 
it eventually if it's handled right.

alan

>
> A 3 day ATT is a cheaper option than a 6 week full Certified Novell
> Engineer (CNE) training schedule.
>
> Jim
> Novell Master CNE, CNI, CDE and LPIC-1
> The Sunshine State
> Queensland, Australia

-- 
Alan McKinnon
alan at linuxholdings.co.za
+27 82 337 1935 (C)
+27 86 110 2411 (W)
+27 12 349 9277 (F)