Learning To Hyperlink
"Guess what I learnt at school today!"
This was directed at me as I entered the living room last night. I said I didn't know and as proud as punch they replied:
"How to make a hyperlink!"
This made me laugh as it's not often you hear about hyperlinks. My reply was along the lines of:
"Yeah, whatever. You mean a link. Like, derr, nobody says hyperlink any more. Get with it!".
Now, you'd be forgiven for thinking I was talking to my step-daughter. In fact it was Karen, my partner, who happens a teacher. Apparently there's a new initiative to teach them extra skill-sets. Last night she was forced to stay late to learn about her chosen subject - How to make a website.
Why she chose that I'm not sure. Probably for a glimpse in to "my world". As I've said before I refer to myself as a Web Developer. Karen now thinks this is easy. Last night I tried to warrant my existence and make my job sound hard by talking about things like "integrated business systems".
This must be another aspect to our jobs. Tell people you're a Web Designer/Developer and they're likely to think there's nothing to it. You might as well tell them you do "data input" or something.
Jake Howlett, Business Systems Architect.
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The twilight inset training, which I had to attend last night after teaching very rude teenages all day, confirmed to me that typing all day for a living is not very hard!!
Every morning I leave Jake fast asleep in bed to go to teach 4 different subjects to 5 differenet age groups. Since starting my job I have been repeatedly sworn at, assaulted & generally treated like crap-and that's the other members of staff!!
Thats sounds a bit like doing project management at my place of work !!
Karen - I know exactly what you mean.
My wife is in the same profession as you, and I am in the same as Jake is.
Based on my experience, I would say that your job is the toughest one.
But to be honest, there is more to Jake's job than hyperlinking.
Jake - Karen is reading your blog - watch out!
>>I refer to myself as a Web Developer.
>>Jake Howlett, Business Systems Architect.
Looks to me like Jake has decided that "Web Developer" is no longer sufficiently technical sounding to use in earshot of 'er indoors :-)
Yeah, but was her link sematically correct, did it validate to XHTML standards and meet all of the Bobby criteria? Did she perform cross browser compatibility and did she separate style from content so that she can change the color of the link when the client re-brands, eh, eh, eh?
Jens. Karen read this and posted first as she happened to phone just as I was pressing "publish". I told her to visit. AFAIK she doesn't read it most days.
I'll side with Karen here as well.
Prior to my current career as a "Link Developer" I was an elementary school teacher for 8 years.
I can honestly say developing the minds of rugrats was much more physically and psychologically draining than developing and implementing organizational process as software.
I think part of it is locus of control. Nowadays I have have a checklist for the day, and I actually get to check items off. Sure there are bugs to deal with, and there are clients who may be difficult. But none of it compares with kids who may be disrespectful or hungry or tired. And there is not a client out there who can match a parent's concern on any given project.
All that said, I certainly give Karen her "props" for sticking this out. I hope she is in this for the long haul, cause the kids need her.
Cheers.
Count me in Karen's camp on this one too. I did adult ed. for four of my ten years in IT and three prtor to that in other subjects. Preparing a lesson, engaging the students, presenting the lesson vocally and then not tiring of the subject matter through sheer repitition is very physically demanding (not the best set of pipes) and mentally stressful on an order of magnitude beyond writing software, which is rather like getting paid to play chess (if you happen to enjoy chess). I'm in this prfession because it's far easier than teaching.
I don't get to sleep in though... the commute is nasty. Maybe we can take turns giving Jake wake up phone calls... what time is it you're off to work, Karen??
Hey teacher! Leave that link alone..... :)
Now if only the setTimeout() function worked with real kids.
Web Developer = $$
Business Systems Architect = $$$$$
It should be that way don't you think?
.::AleX::.
I think the politically correct way to handle this would be to say that the two careers require different skill sets. Don't let's worry about which skills those sets include or whether or not they overlap. The trick here is to use sound-bytes ;-)
Jake, think yourself lucky you get to stay in bed while Karen goes to work - I also work from home but I get shoehorned into being a taxi for my other half - so still have to deal with the morning traffic, mothers stopping in the middle of the road to drop off kids, etc etc.
Saying that, I'd rather be where I am, than where Karen + my girlfriend are... ;o)
Try using 'Web Application Developer' to add that extra level of sophistication.
(or should I say sophistry)
@Alex:
You forgot one line:
Web Developer = $$
Business Systems Architect = $$$$$
Teacher = $$$$$
That is what it should be.
I continue to be amazed and extremely disappointed that those charged with educating the future are compensated so poorly for such a task.
In Germany a teacher is well paid and earns quite more than a web developer (and has a life-long employment).
That is why also my wife is a teacher :-)
It seems to me that the combination of Application Developer and teacher is very common.
Guaranteed life-long employment? For newly hired teachers? You're kidding, these times are over, aren't they.
If there's something wrong with teacher's employment in GER it's not that they get payed too well, but that a fair percentage (I'd guess the persentage is in the double digit region ...) isn't worth half the money they get, while beeing a good teacher doesn't pay out.
Far as I remember, the problem was getting Jake out of bed when he was a CODER!!