Renaissance Geek
To say that I wear many technological hats is an understatement. I’ve always known that to succeed in a company, you have to be willing to do anything that comes along. As I’ve been with my current employer more and more, I’ve come to inherit more hats than anyone else (other than, maybe, my boss.)
Last week (and continuing into this week) I’ve performed tasks that should be performed by:
- a software engineer (which is my title)
- a software architect
- a Linux system administrator/engineer
- a network engineer
- a web developer
- a multi-media artist
- a database administrator
- Windows technical support
- Linux technical support
- a technical writer
I’m not doing this because I’m the only person to do the job. There are plenty of other people on my team. However, I am most often the best choice for the job. I do it better than anyone else on my team. It takes me less time to do the actions, and they are (often) done right on the first attempt. There are even times when I am the only person that knows how to do the job, so I do it. When I realize that I’m the only person that knows how to do the job, I try to educate other members of my team, but their eyes glaze over when I get to step 3 of 22. They can’t grasp the level of technical detail necessary to do my job. They also don’t care enough about it to learn it, even if they had the capabilities.
Am I upset that I am the “go to guy” for all of these various and sundry activities? Nope. It’s job security. I know that if my company falls on economic hard times that I will probably be one of the people labeled as “indisposable”, and I’ll keep my job. I also offer much more expertise to my company than what they are paying me for. My boss is aware of this, and appreciates it. So long as he’s kept around, I’m sure to have a job.
Now, in the past, I’ve made myself indisposable, and it’s bitten me in the ass. It’s meant that I could not get promotions to other departments, transfers to other sections, and I’ve pretty much dug myself in a hole at a job. I won’t mind if that’s the case here. I really love what I’m doing. I like the people that I work with, and, above all else, I really love working for my boss. He’s a great guy! He knows how to do my job, and he understands when things go wrong and take a little longer than they might originally. I just have to up-front and honest with him when things go wrong, and I tell him how I’m going to correct the problem. He’s also very open, friendly, and personable. One of the best bosses that I’ve ever had. If he ever leaves the company, I’m not sure what I’ll do. Maybe stalk him until he hires me at his new job?
I know that a “Renaissance Man” is supposed to be equally versed in art and science, and that computers are mostly science. If you’ve ever worked for extensive periods in the technology business, you’ll understand that there is an art to the way things are done if they are done properly.
