Recent insight into the machinations of the corporate world

[azekeil]

After reading lee_chaos' posts about teaching, and many other people's work-related posts, and tying in my own experience, I come to the following rather interesting conclusions:

• When you start your career, you are given very defined work to do, there is a definite answer, and you are not allowed to get it wrong.
• As you progress, your work becomes less well defined, but people are prepared to accept that you don't know all of it yourself - it becomes a job of mining the knowledge out of others in your company and in companies you do business with. Quite a lot of your job then involves business politics, models and strategies. You are allowed to give a more vague answer.
• Finally then, at the peak of your career, by extrapolation, you are no longer using any of your own technical knowledge, instead meta-managing others to provide the answers. You have abstracted the work your company does into a metaphorical ship, which you steer through foggy seas completely blindly, guided only by those working for you to do things like fan the fog away on one side or the other, or look out for things like treasure or other ships (which you might capture), while trawling your nets through the sea of customers. You have a vague idea where you want to fish.

No wonder the CEO of the first big company I worked for played with model trains a lot. I want to start off at the top and work my way down. That seems to make a lot more sense to me.

Comments

[serena-lesley.livejournal.com]

You're very good at making good posts that make a lot of sense, yet somehow have no commentable content. ;)

This doesn't change the fact that you're right, though. :)

[ev1ldonut.livejournal.com]

This doesn't change the fact that you're right, though
Not entirely I think. In some ways yes, but it's too general to be totally accurate.

However, I don't have the time or inclination to write a long thoughtful response right now. ;)

Maybe in person later. I do better at this sort of thing in actual conversation. :)

[serena-lesley.livejournal.com]

It possibly applies more to some careers than others, but it's a very good way to describe azekeil's experience, and the experience of those that he works with, I think. :)

[ev1ldonut.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think so. It's the same for pretty much all careers, I just think it's a limited interpretation, and there are alternatives and reasonings not explored in it. It is how he has interpreted his own viewpoint, but mine is different you see. :) Basically I think I'm saying that it depends on the person and not the vocation...

It's a good start point for more discussion, but doesn't cover a lot of things I view in career progression, which I think apply to all forms of work. Others may not agree with my interpretaion either, but that is human nature, everyone is different. :)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am assuming career progression in a particular direction, certainly. Although the main point about the post isn't necessarily career direction, but the amusement of how you actually need to know the technicalities of *less* as you get higher up in a company, and people accept that.

[ev1ldonut.livejournal.com]

Yes, that is true, but the reason for it isn't really covered. You need less technical specifics, but more general understanding. The focus of the role changes to a more guiding hand than doing hand.

Think of it kind of like an old martial arts master in the film, they may be too old to go out and do the heroics now, but they guide the young apprentice and show them the right path without actually doing it themselves. :) (a very crude analogy, but it serves the purpose for the moment *grin*)

As I said, I don't really have the time to write an in-depth interpretation right now, but I will probably come back to it. :)

[thespirit3.livejournal.com]

Yup *nods*. You are right.

The biggest change I found when switching to contracting was the removal from politics, removal from organising others, and being plonked firmly back into a technical role. Be that 'hands on' technical or consultancy technical - others are doing all the tunning around, others are arguiing over politics etc - it just doesn't involve me any more. It's a nice place to be :)

[dylan.livejournal.com]

I agree, I spent 8 blissful years contracting but in the end I got fed up of the 3 hour commute each day that every contract seemed to come with. I'm currently enjoying the holidays and training that comes with a permanent job but I wonder how long it will take before I end up spending more of my day planning/managing than doing

Nice to see I'm making people think... ;)

[lee-chaos.livejournal.com]

True to some extent, certainly in corporate entities more than others.

I think my career path will involve me continuing to be specific - therein lies the role of the consultant / 'expert'.

I'd like to write one of these for the world of education or charitable funding positions... but they would contain a LOT of expletives... ;P

Re: Nice to see I'm making people think... ;)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

I want to get to consultant level - but secretly I'm scared by people who know more than me (eg. developers and other specialists).

Re: Nice to see I'm making people think... ;)

[lee-chaos.livejournal.com]

The way I see it, there's a real niche for consultants who exist between developers and users - people who understand the role of both and can effectively act as 'translators'.

Much of my time in web design was spent doing just this - decoding what the sales team had sold and relaying it to the web programmer, and turning tech-speak into things the sales team could understand and actually *sell*.

I'd love to do this with music software, as I know what works and what doesn't un the classroom. however, most of this middle beta-testing work isn't really paid *at all*, which is a shame. I also think there's room in the world for people offering sage advice on how to spend budgets on tech-gear, but then again, there's no shortage of self-important deluded upper management who believe they don't need any help thankyouverymuch...

Re: Nice to see I'm making people think... ;)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

There are niches everywhere. I think I was hoping to exploit the same or similar niche in software development (of course it's now at software service delivery - much nicer model IMO).

The trouble with these sorts of things are that people don't *know* what they don't know, as proven by my last job...

[easternpromise.livejournal.com]

Depends on where your talents and interests lie, I think. One can argue that the people that manage a business and direct its activities are specialists in their own right, in the art of management. It's quite a big, diverse, complex subject, and there's a lot to know (studying it as I am at the moment, I feel qualified to make this assertion!), and it has the potential to have a huge impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of a business, not to mention its short and long-term survival.

I think it's less well defined than jobs at the lower levels, but to assert that it's more vague or 'blind', as in your third point, is, I think, fallacious. There's a very targeted and precise nature to top-level management, which is essentially involved in setting the overarching objectives and goals for the company for the year, not to mention the strategies and tactics to be employed to get there. There's a lot to have an eye on, and a lot to be aware of, and the stakes are that much higher when you consider that the company prospers or fails on the basis of those decisions, taking with it people's livelihoods, not to mention your own (potentially).

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Bah. I liken a CEO's job to that of The ruler of the universe - except in this case it's just the ruler of the company.

Yeah, yeah, okay, there's a bit more strategy to it, but I think we all go through life learning how to ask the right questions and manage people and make the right decisions. I think that ultimately anyone without their own agenda could probably do the job satisfactorily, given enough support.

Perhaps the bit they do well that no one else really does for them is the strategy - taking all the information in and using their own judgement to decide where the ship should head next.