Intelligent Use of IT Professionals

Although I enjoy working with software, I've never considered myself a member of the IT field. One of the reasons for this is the sheer number of technologies software engineers and their kin must learn. There are new software technologies coming out daily at an ever accelerating rate. I prefer to learn theory and fundamentals and a small number of tools very well. If I spend a few years learning advanced mathematical and computer science concepts and a handful of languages (actually many more, but they change slowly), I have useful knowledge which is not going to change or disappear overnight, or ever.

But there are many different kinds of software professionals with varying skill sets and abilities. Some of us like to work at the highest levels, needing only to understand what software does, and not how it works or even how to program. Some of us are lower down, having a basic understanding of what can be done with software but also knowing a little bit about what's going on underneath. And some of us prefer to work at the lowest level. That is, understand the core of how a system works and being able to modify it if necessary. And of course, I have met people who work effectively at all levels, but I think that is rare. I prefer the lowest level, because if you understand basic principles, it is easy to quickly learn how a system functions without needing to know a lot about the specific technology, its configuration, or how it works with other software at a high level. But I have much respect for people who work at the other end. It requires a lot of effort to build up the breadth of knowledge needed to work with many different technologies (and even to be aware of them in the first place).

Now, the point of all this - how to use highly skilled software specialists. I'm referring to the guys who know one or a few things inside out and backwards - database administrator, system administrator, network system engineer, software configurator. Many of these guys were out of work when the bubble burst, either because their job vanished, moved off shore, or because of H1B visas. It's just impossible for one person to know a lot about every software package and technology out there. And it's getting harder each day. Some companies will require a list of skills a mile long that most specialists don't have. Others will just have contract positions and cycle through experts. And it gets worse. When some companies succeed at cutting costs by only hiring who they need, when they need them, other companies have to follow suite to compete. So now the company servers are deteriorating while it seeks a new system administrator, and the system administrator is out of work half the year looking for a new short-term contract. (And who knows - maybe he'll start consulting and charge three times as much.) A large corporation may be able to keep a number of full time specialists busy 90 hours a week, but small companies may not be able to afford them at all or only on contract.

Instead of trying to make your understaffed programmers and database experts into network engineers and system administrators, why not share the cost of some experts with other local businesses? The pc industry made the change from vertical to horizontal. Instead of trying to make a small number of people do everything, hire specialists who can get things done quickly. If you can't afford that six figure admin (who's going to just sit there half the year), split the cost. Yes, taxes and payroll are going to be a pain, but would you rather spend more on the engineers or more on the finance employees? And this way, the employees don't have to spend all their time trying to keep on top of a million different, ever changing, technologies - they can focus on what they're good at. And the work is done by an expert - not an intern or a newbie.