On Feb 17, 2012, at 3:17 AM, Brandon Butterworth wrote:
>> I have noticed that a lot of very well-paid, sometimes
>> well-qualified, networking folks spend some of their time on "rack &
>> stack" tasks, which I feel is a very unwise use of time and talent.
>
> It's not a waste, it's therapeutic, breaks the monotony of a desk
> job, you get a bit of exercise. Doing something mindless can help
> clear your thoughts, engineering yoga.
+1 I find this myself, it's useful to do this, as it is to sit in with
the operations team and other groups (even finance) to understand what other
groups need/require. I've often found that someone is working around a problem
they didn't know you could solve (easily), or is doing a large amount of manual
labor when there is an API, etc.
Perspective is good. I also do other work that certainly isn't a
complete use of my talents that benefits others (e.g.: chaperone a field-trip
at school). These are not without merits, but I do know I have my faults in
perhaps reading (and responding) to NANOG too much when I should be engaged in
more worthwhile tasks.
>> Imagine if the CFO of a bank spent a big chunk of his time filling up ATMs.
>
> That'd be a good idea, it's too easy to become remote from reality.
> obviously you need the right balance - s/big//
- Jared
