On Fri, 26 Jun 2015, Warner wrote:
On Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 07:14:23PM -0700, David Lang(da...@lang.hm) wrote:
On Fri, 26 Jun 2015, Warner wrote:
On Fri, Jun 26, 2015 at 01:00:43PM -0700, David Lang(da...@lang.hm) wrote:
<snip>
A better field to think about is Auto Mechanic.
<snip>
sigh.
Or maybe an engineer?
No, an "Engineer" is a very strict definition, requiring specific schooling
and certifications. That has no resemblance to our fields where self-taught
folks with no formal background can and do hold their own with the best of
the formally trained folks.
<snip>
Remember, we're in the land of rhetoric. I know a fine mechanical
engineer who is also a software engineer and an entrepreneur. In his
case, many of those skills were self taught, he's just smart.
My point was that if we want to make logical leaps and comparisons
between professions, I'd sooner compare most of the technology
profession to other early professions -- not mechanics.
If you like cars, that's cool. I like cars. I still don't think the
comparison is fair.
While I do like cars, I'm using it as an example because I think it's a far
better fit that anything else that we've talked about.
I know that people want to talk about Lawyers, Engineers, etc. But I think the
reality is that cars are a far better comparison. The more i think about it, the
better the comparison seems to get.
At the high end you have NASCAR and other race teams doing really esoteric
things on a routine basis. at the other end, you have the hobbiests like you and
I. There are lots of certifications, but none (or almost none) are required. You
have classroom-taught and self-taught working side by side at all levels.
Vendors attempting lock-in.
specialists who's work terrifies others (think about rebuilding/modifying an
automatic transmission and think how most sysadmins think about networking)
you even have safety organizations saying that if you want to participate in a
particular sub-category, you must have these safety features (in cars, each type
of racing has their rules and specific safety features needed, in sysadmin we
have PCI and HIPPA where if you deal with that type of data you have specific
measures you are required to take and are audited on)
let's face it, we are never going to prohibit people from doing 'unlicensed
system administration' or running 'uncertified servers on the Internet', just
like you are never going to kill off backyard mechanics or prevent modified cars
(some of which are unsafe) from being on the road.
But that doesn't prevent there from being professional organizations that teach
and certify mechanics, and it similar possibilities exist for system
administrations.
People keep bringing up plumbers, electricians, engineers, etc based on risk and
potential loss, but none of them have the strong 'non-professional' branch or
the ability for self-trained folks to work in the upper echelons of the field.
If we're going to look at something to use as a role model to work towards, we
need to pick something that has a very significant portion of the field that is
self-trained and unaccountable.
If not automotive repair/modification/restoration/etc then what field qualifies?
Let's talk about various other fields that have the same type of issue and see
what they are able to do.
David Lang
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