Hello everyone,
After seeing a thread about pilots, I got curious about if anyone here works or worked in technology? If so, what did you do?
Did you like it or hate it? If you left technology, where did you go (retired, switched careers, etc)?
Do/did you CD while working? How did people react to you?
I am studying Software Development and also love connecting with those in technology :)!
Software developer here (app development, web development, windows development, development development, etc.)
One of the nicer things about software development is that there are a lot of opportunities for either telecommuting (if you work for a company), or alternately just doing contract work remotely (if you're brave and don't mind feast or famine income swings lol!)
And, of course, while at home you can wear whatever you want :)
Hi Helicd!
Yay! Fellow software developer :D!
How many years have you worked as a software developer?
Hello Nellie!
Been at it over 17 years now. Has it's pluses and minuses just like any job, but when you find a good gig it's pretty awesome!
Also has the bonus of always having new things for you to learn - for any given contract I'm usually learning at least one new technology during the development process, helps keep the old mind sharp!
I can comment on this thread as well as the pilot thread. I nerded out in two industries, yay!
Before I became a pilot I worked in I.T. for about 18 years. I worked as a Programmer/Systems Analyst/Project leader/department leader/Business Analyst. All of that was on an IBM midrange platform called an AS/400, or iSeries. (Green screen technology).
When I started, most of what I did was development, but as time went on it was more support, with the odd small project thrown in. The reason for that was because the platform became more of a server, as more of the applications were done at the front end (e.g. SAP, Siebel, etc).
I loved what I did, as I love technical jobs. The best part of my job was that it was rarely boring: I spent my working week problem solving! I never aspired to much higher than low-middle management, because in those positions you become a manager and not a techie. I was self-employed as a contractor for around 13 of my 18 years in the industry, and preferred that to working for a single employer. The opportunities for working from home were not as prevalent as they are today, so that wasn't really a feature of my employment. I've still got plenty of mates in the industry and many of them work mostly from home. The dangers of working from home involve becoming too isolated, but that is my opinion only.
I can't comment on CD'ing as that wasn't part of my life back then.
I left I.T. because over the years it became repetitive. That is, every client I went to had the same problem: None of them really understood I.T, except as a necessary expense. Most of them resented the amount of money that the I.T. industry charged. Most of them never listened to I.T. department recommendations. Most of them wanted an I.T. solution without any input from themselves. Many of them were what I would call "professionally hostile" to I.T.
There was also some disillusionment with the younger generation of I.T. professionals. That is, graduate programmers who wrote business packages that were basically an extension of their Uni projects. That is, lots of bells and whistles, screens that look really great with lots of graphics, but at the end of the day, business solutions that were less functional, slower, and more 'buggy' than the "old fashioned" systems that they replaced.
I left I.T. to become a pilot.
Michelle
Designed computers 20 years ago and retired at 52.
Wow 17 years! That is where I am moving to be. I love the tech field because of the freedom it provides. I can be flexible with how I work and what I work on :D.
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:daydreaming: How cool, Barbie! I love it!
Are you enjoying your retirement??
I've worked for chip makers for my entire career. I do hardware and software test development. I can't say that I like it, I just sort of fell into it about 35 years ago and it certainly pays the bills.
As soon as I saw the heading I thought, “nope we’re all pilots!”
I work in tech and sometimes even love it.
I've been a software developer/engineer for 30+ years, working in multiple industries. I started with DOS and Windows 3.1, now I do web apps, client apps, databases, and almost everything in between. Microsoft is my platform of choice, so I'm pretty old school. But it pays the bills for my family, and occasionally, for new clothes and shoes for Tina. :hugs:
This is so great! I am so happy that there are developers on this forum :D
With all this great talent here, how come I still have to turn my computer OFF by pushing START?
Ineke, discombobulated :eek:
Us developers question this too :straightface:. It really makes no sense and I think that since it's been that way for so long, it's probably not going to change :idontknow:
Oh silly technology (lol)
It is very simple. Your start to turn it off. LOL. Think of Space balls when they were always preparing to do something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ineke Vashon
Meh, that has not said "Start" since Windows XP... :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Ineke Vashon
Anyway I have been working in the electronics industry for 40 years. Everything from TV repair, satellite dish installation, to engineering. I currently work in a test lab where I basically get paid to break things. I do a fair amount of programming, mostly automated test and measurement for long and short term testing.
Forgot to add, usually I wear a bra, panties, and woman's jeans to work everyday.
Taught High School Computer Science and Applications courses for more than 20 years before retiring 10 years ago. Being my age means the first computers I used were Radio Shack TRS-80s and then Apple IIe's.
Learned more computer languages than I care to count.
As for work and CD'ing underdressed in panties and pantyhose once but found it stressful worrying if a pant leg would ride up and a student would notice.
Hi Nellie
Another software developer here. Started 35+ years ago, learning Pascal on Apple IIe, and carried on, working in programming and support since then. Dabbled in a bit of management but was always drawn back to programming and am still coding now, mostly PHP.
As a job, the creative elements are highly satisfying but, as with much IT work, it can also be extremely stressful. Thankfully, I now have a cool way to unwind :)
Rachel
Software engineering and game design professor - user experience design is what attracted me to game programming
I trained as an electronics engineer back in the 60s.
I started in the days of valves (tubes) and discrete components working for the MoD. Eventually I moved on to the financial side of engineering doing cost accounting and work study. Taught myself all about computers - and built quite a few over the years - even did an Open University programming course coding in Pascal.
Hi Nellie, I'm not in technology.
I used to work as a photo designer, did advertisment and art, including worldwide exhibitions.
After my job didn't bring the money anymore, I started a business with classic sports cars (Porsche 911 and BMW).
At almost the same time I started another business for used design furniture (European).
The first business will pay retirement and the second pays the bills since 12 years.
I am in academia teaching in a tech field, now in my fifth decade. I concurrently do tech work of many sorts in and with the military, all branches, and with the several industries. As I write this, I am at a tech conference presenting my academic work to military folks. There is now a whole section of this conference addressing a technology that I started the military thinking about long ago. It is indeed true that a techie can get a lot done if she gets somebody else to do it for her and she does not care who gets the credit.
Obviously, I am still doing tech work. One of my mentors is here at this conference and he is nearly 90 years old, still going strong and still showing me how to do this kind of tech work. Like him, I really enjoy the work and I will be in this as long as I can, in the words of Emperor Haile Selasie, "stand and hold a spear". Being an academic, I just build on the excitement that the young guys naturally have and they then teach me all the new ideas. I get to cooperate, not compete with them. Tech work is a lot easier that way.
Danielle, God Bless You...I too started my PC work on a "Trash 80" and Apple IIe. I was so overjoyed to get those machines because punch cards were too much fun for this gal.
I find my crossdressing, particularly underdressing, can be distracting so I compartmentalize it away from my work. Compartmentalizing things is something that many techies are pretty good at.
START was not the first silly thing that Microsoft did and it is unlikely to be the last, believe me. If anything, their rate of creating nonsense is accelerating. Don't like it? Get an Apple. That is what I am typing this response on. I went through grad school on a steady diet of Apples. Of course, like any tech system, it comes with its own set of fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ineke Vashon
Avionics, radio, radar, instruments but left that life 30 years ago, now doing commercial electronics (access control, CCTV, fire detection and suppression systems) and playing with microprocessors at home.
Back in the day, I was a computer operator - when large mainframe systems were still what people thought of as computers. It was a dull job and when I left the Army, I switched careers.
In civilian life I became an electronics tech, working on security systems. I started in a company that made (cheap) home and car alarms, but soon moved up to large-scale systems that protected industrial complexes. It was interesting work and in one company, I traveled a lot for the company as a field tech.
I underdressed in panties all the time - and when traveling, I had the opportunity to go dress fully and frequently (DADT at home).
As far as I know, they never found out. I had to play it very close to the chest, as I was sitting on a rather high security clearance for most of my career, and didn't want to risk losing it.
I worked with microwave radio and autotracking radar in the military. After that, I worked in a hospital with biomedical electronics. Then a few years with a company which made electronic signs. After being "downsized" I became a school bus driver, although I would not characterize that as a tech job. Now I consider myself retired.
I spent 16 years in biomedical engineering supporting imaging systems in nuclear medicine and PET before moving to IT. I've been in IT 20 years supporting server systems and infrastructure at hospitals since then. I still have a few years to go before retirement.