To clarify the title: MS would be my initials and a serendipitous way to start the remaining: Certification in Common Sense.
Apparently I've spent too much time worrying about how to prove my value to employers, both those who write my checks and those for whom I perform contract software development. I've spent nights trying to figure out what certifications I should go after and if a complete suite, along with a new spiffy title, is worth the effort. To date, I can't say that not having one has hurt me.
However, I have run into individuals with certifications that make you want to break out the d-4 of silence. (Sorry, a bit of an inside joke but you probably get the idea). That's not to say certifications don't help HR people perform mind-numbing filtering of the glut of resumes the must deal with daily, there are fewer people who can craft the skills qualified by the certification into a workable solution.
In the midst of shaking my head at code I couldn't believe I remembered (seeming randomly at the time) what a friend had said his business degree seemed like at times: a degree in common sense. That made me wonder, is common sense truly that rare? Did Monty Python create a cult classic with "The Upperclass Twit of the Year" skit?
Mix all the previous thoughts together and you get my odd declaration that I'm going to start charging for a certification in common sense. Perhaps this will be a better filter for HR.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
$52 Tank of Gas
I made the choice awhile back to purchase a 2002 Bonneville SSEI. It's classified as a performance car. The engine comes equipped with a supercharger and a requirement for Premium gas for it's higher octane rating.
This morning, running on fumes with the gas gauge below E, I pulled into a local QuickTrip and prepared for the bad news. Unfortunately I wasn't sufficiently prepared. The signs posted prices at 2.69/2.79/2.91 (another recent change is the extra 2c for premium). However, the pump was actually charging 2.68/2.78/2.98. WTF?
I have no way to answer why the sudden jump in the cost of premium gas, but I just about lost it. All that was left to do was cry and watch as I pumped 17+ gallons at just under $3/gallon for a total tally pennies under $52.
While I realize that others may have it worse elsewhere in the country, isn't it time we asked why we should be relying on oil (apparenlty suddenly expensive refineries)? There are options out there. Perhaps if we stopped accepting lobbying money and directed it to research/infrastructure instead we'd actually meet the future before we create insurmountable hurdles to maintaining the basis of our current travel infrastructure .
This morning, running on fumes with the gas gauge below E, I pulled into a local QuickTrip and prepared for the bad news. Unfortunately I wasn't sufficiently prepared. The signs posted prices at 2.69/2.79/2.91 (another recent change is the extra 2c for premium). However, the pump was actually charging 2.68/2.78/2.98. WTF?
I have no way to answer why the sudden jump in the cost of premium gas, but I just about lost it. All that was left to do was cry and watch as I pumped 17+ gallons at just under $3/gallon for a total tally pennies under $52.
While I realize that others may have it worse elsewhere in the country, isn't it time we asked why we should be relying on oil (apparenlty suddenly expensive refineries)? There are options out there. Perhaps if we stopped accepting lobbying money and directed it to research/infrastructure instead we'd actually meet the future before we create insurmountable hurdles to maintaining the basis of our current travel infrastructure .
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Uh-Oh, BOOM!, owie...
Recently my daughter fell. This is not an unusual event except for the fact that she fell while nearly galloping from excitement toward the car in the parking lot of a hotel. As expected the experience was traumatic for her and us as parents. She skinned her knee and it quickly displayed the strawberry in-progress. It did surprise me how quickly it started to swell and the total event led my wife to requesting a stop at a Walgreens. The cure for the trauma was hugs-n-kisses for my daughter and a squirt of Solarcaine administered by my wife for her sanity.
All in all my daughter took it well. The next morning she decided to put together the longest string of meaningful words and gestures I've had the pleasure of experiencing yet:
I caught the storytelling in the rear-view mirror and nearly lost it. The true honesty in the retelling was touching. She had just demonstrated her ability to understand and communicate a cause-and-effect relationship.
Some days I wonder at what management level do you lose sight of this basic tenent?
In the grander management hierarchy at my contract sight we had a new manager join the fold. Two levels above my project manager the new manager bust onto the scene with a show of force. The winds of change are coming, "just you watch." Attendees at his first meeting were given the mission statement "Quality above all else" along with the explanation that as a department we would not release software before it's time. Like id Software, we would provide a release "when it's done." The mission is clear and I will do my best to execute to that goal.
However, what happened to reality? We have contractual obligations that include release schedules that must be met. To complicate it further there are multiple contract with different customers for the same family of products that have competing schedules. How long will it take to find the compromise to which we can actually achieve our goals.
Many in the meeting, my project manager included, were just wondering how long the honeymoon would last. It didn't take too long. About a month into the new regime we hit the first wringle in the plan. The software under development needed to go to an external entity for testing. Although nearly all involved expected that the entity would not be ready the contracts (and other political influences) need to be apeased.
Instead of taking the long weekend I had been hoping for I was told that "the weight of the free world rests on your sholders. Don't let the Berlin wall go back up. I'll see you on Monday" Great. So I asked the question: "To push this release out the door who should I call for testing?"
My answer: "Just give me this one." Uh-Oh.
Since that weekend -- in which I sacrificed time with family in multiple states and some of my health -- there has been improvement. Schedules are discussed and the big picture is coming into perspective. As a part of this process I've come to realize that this new manager plays political games in trying to improve the company image and catch the outside entities in bad positions.
Push them back, don't let them see that we can't deliver a fully tested product today. Don't tell them no, don't give the impression there is any reason to question our ability to deliver. Don't worry that you're tap-dancing in a minefield.
I made the mistake of believing that things could improve. Two weeks ago I had a system engineer show up in my cube and ask if I had the latest release (release candidate to be exact but that may be too much detail for a manager) ready for delivery. Answering 'No' went over about as well 'as a fart in Sunday school!' (you can thank my cube-mate for that)
With a boldness bolstered by our renewed commitment to quality and having recently been shown the schedule that included testing, I pulled out my documents and pointed 3 weeks down the road. A phone call later and I was emphasizing that the installation packages I was providing had not been tested by anyone just because a customer was screaming to have the media in hand so they could test -- another flight-of-fancy and another game of Risk. The CD's were in the mail half an hour later.
Yet that day, 10 minutes after delivery of a raw build I sit down at the keyboard of my test box, click a button and cackle/cry to the sight of "The application has caused a serious error and must be shut down." They couldn't affort the time to test and we had just delivered code that was broken. Instead we're going to let them keep it and mark it as a known issue. This is just a release for some comfort testing so there's no real long-term risk. UH-OH!
At this point I'm just glad it's Friday. Focus on the Positive things when the rest of your surroundings are chaotic.
Upon returning to my desk from the weekend and opening my email... BOOM! We have been given notice that the external entity is moving towards software certification with the release that is broken. They haven't heard yet of any reasons to stop the train. Who wasn't listening? Or to whom were they listening?
To put this in perspective, failing that certification means "The End." We're not allowed to deliver uncertified product. The legacy servers are being turned off in 2 weeks, the database will go away, the central file server will go away, the communications network will go away. Our license to operate expires, the supporting contract will go away. My contract will go away. Solarcaine will not ease the sting, hugs and kisses only offer momentary comfort.
So we're working on a compromise. We have at least managed to stop some of the bloodflow. We have a couple of extra days to squeak in a build that has actually been given some of the usual testing. In theory we should deliver tomorrow. With the code delivered to me today we can't, it will likely be at least Monday possibly Tuesday to work through a couple of issues in a product delivered to us. All I can do is pray that the other, external side is also playing games and trying to call our bluff. I'll show my poker face and tick away at my keyboard.
I just wonder when our new manager will finally let reality set in. I've see the manager grovel, I'm waiting for the whimpered, "owie..."
All in all my daughter took it well. The next morning she decided to put together the longest string of meaningful words and gestures I've had the pleasure of experiencing yet:
"Uh-Oh," she said, her eyes open and arms stretched to the side.
After a brief pause she thrust her arms to her side, palms down and declared, "BOOM!"
Lifting her eyes back up to look forward she meekly offered, "owie..."
I caught the storytelling in the rear-view mirror and nearly lost it. The true honesty in the retelling was touching. She had just demonstrated her ability to understand and communicate a cause-and-effect relationship.
Some days I wonder at what management level do you lose sight of this basic tenent?
In the grander management hierarchy at my contract sight we had a new manager join the fold. Two levels above my project manager the new manager bust onto the scene with a show of force. The winds of change are coming, "just you watch." Attendees at his first meeting were given the mission statement "Quality above all else" along with the explanation that as a department we would not release software before it's time. Like id Software, we would provide a release "when it's done." The mission is clear and I will do my best to execute to that goal.
However, what happened to reality? We have contractual obligations that include release schedules that must be met. To complicate it further there are multiple contract with different customers for the same family of products that have competing schedules. How long will it take to find the compromise to which we can actually achieve our goals.
Many in the meeting, my project manager included, were just wondering how long the honeymoon would last. It didn't take too long. About a month into the new regime we hit the first wringle in the plan. The software under development needed to go to an external entity for testing. Although nearly all involved expected that the entity would not be ready the contracts (and other political influences) need to be apeased.
Instead of taking the long weekend I had been hoping for I was told that "the weight of the free world rests on your sholders. Don't let the Berlin wall go back up. I'll see you on Monday" Great. So I asked the question: "To push this release out the door who should I call for testing?"
My answer: "Just give me this one." Uh-Oh.
Since that weekend -- in which I sacrificed time with family in multiple states and some of my health -- there has been improvement. Schedules are discussed and the big picture is coming into perspective. As a part of this process I've come to realize that this new manager plays political games in trying to improve the company image and catch the outside entities in bad positions.
Push them back, don't let them see that we can't deliver a fully tested product today. Don't tell them no, don't give the impression there is any reason to question our ability to deliver. Don't worry that you're tap-dancing in a minefield.
I made the mistake of believing that things could improve. Two weeks ago I had a system engineer show up in my cube and ask if I had the latest release (release candidate to be exact but that may be too much detail for a manager) ready for delivery. Answering 'No' went over about as well 'as a fart in Sunday school!' (you can thank my cube-mate for that)
With a boldness bolstered by our renewed commitment to quality and having recently been shown the schedule that included testing, I pulled out my documents and pointed 3 weeks down the road. A phone call later and I was emphasizing that the installation packages I was providing had not been tested by anyone just because a customer was screaming to have the media in hand so they could test -- another flight-of-fancy and another game of Risk. The CD's were in the mail half an hour later.
Yet that day, 10 minutes after delivery of a raw build I sit down at the keyboard of my test box, click a button and cackle/cry to the sight of "The application has caused a serious error and must be shut down." They couldn't affort the time to test and we had just delivered code that was broken. Instead we're going to let them keep it and mark it as a known issue. This is just a release for some comfort testing so there's no real long-term risk. UH-OH!
At this point I'm just glad it's Friday. Focus on the Positive things when the rest of your surroundings are chaotic.
Upon returning to my desk from the weekend and opening my email... BOOM! We have been given notice that the external entity is moving towards software certification with the release that is broken. They haven't heard yet of any reasons to stop the train. Who wasn't listening? Or to whom were they listening?
To put this in perspective, failing that certification means "The End." We're not allowed to deliver uncertified product. The legacy servers are being turned off in 2 weeks, the database will go away, the central file server will go away, the communications network will go away. Our license to operate expires, the supporting contract will go away. My contract will go away. Solarcaine will not ease the sting, hugs and kisses only offer momentary comfort.
So we're working on a compromise. We have at least managed to stop some of the bloodflow. We have a couple of extra days to squeak in a build that has actually been given some of the usual testing. In theory we should deliver tomorrow. With the code delivered to me today we can't, it will likely be at least Monday possibly Tuesday to work through a couple of issues in a product delivered to us. All I can do is pray that the other, external side is also playing games and trying to call our bluff. I'll show my poker face and tick away at my keyboard.
I just wonder when our new manager will finally let reality set in. I've see the manager grovel, I'm waiting for the whimpered, "owie..."
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