Re: not enough real programmers? (was Re: Byte Magazine: 18 Vintage issues, 1985-1986)

[Victoria Welch <vikki@oz.net>]

Howard S Shubs wrote:
> 
> In article <7on4i0$b47$0@216.39.144.179>, Victoria Welch <vikki@oz.net> wrote:
> 
> >I think the correct term for this piece of pathos is "sociopath".  They
> >are not as uncommon as most of us would like...
> 
> I don't see a contradiction between "sociopath" and "con man".  I must
> admit that I'd not thought in terms of mental illness, though.

Not keeping up with your education 'eh?  Thank you for coming and we'll
keep your resume on file for a future opening.  Next! :-)
 
> >No, he was not my *direct* boss (in reality, not in his mind), but the
> >management there was so in "awe" of his financial resources (that were
> >proping up that outfit) that they would do nothing to offend him.  He
> >has acheived the ultimate "petty ghod" position in that organization.
> 
> So that organization, as propped up by a thief, is doomed.  Is it still around?

Haven't looked, but probably until everyone catches on to them or he
gets bored keeping it going or runs out of money to keep his
entertainment going.
  
> Fight with him??  I wonder if he'd say that to a guy.

I got the impression that he meant verbally spar with him, but since I
had been doing that, I'm not sure I'd bet the farm on it.

I doubt he'd say that to a guy, people like that are ultimately cowards
and if he didn't have intimidation down to a science, he'd have nothing
but money.  

Once he said something really offensive to me at a point where I was
*really* tired and more than a little frusterated trying to reach some
(as usual) impossible deadline without support or tools.  I looked him
in the eye and *seriously* *considered* a few "educational" experiences
for him that might have been construed by some to be antisocial (I'm 6'
tall and not too fraigle, a hearty German / Scottish / Scandinavian mix
:).  He got a scared look on his face and *promptly* disappeared. 

 He left me alone for a couple of weeks, but the challege to browbeat me
into submission was just too strong in him.  I took great joy in
tormenting him after that - something I am personally not too proud of
having done, no matter how warranted, but it did keep him from screwing
up things and creating more work.  Well, it slowed him down some :-).

He hated me since I wouldn't buy into his BS and just knuckle under and
called him every time he screwed up and cost the company money.  No I
wasn't nasty about it, just attemping to communicate with him in a
businesslike manner for the good of the company.  I do not have a MBA,
but  I've been around long enough to have a VERY good idea of what works
and what doesn't.  But I had the AUDACITY to question something he had
done / said / proposed.)  Yes, silly me, I question the word of God when
he is obviously wrong :-).  I do respect a competent and capable manager
greatly, just in case you get the idea that I have some vendetta against
"my betters", such is by no means the case.  GOOD managers are worth
their weight in {select very valuable substance of your choice}. 

The rest of the employees were shocked that I would stand up to him.  I
didn't see it that way, were we all not there to make the company
successful and to spend the companies money wisely and profitably? 
Perhaps, in retrospect, if it had *actually* been the company money
instead of "his", it might have been different.

It really bothered me to have to bring up points that anyone with a few
years of experience in a field should *know*.  According to him, he has
retired from the field in question as a senior manager with many
patents.

The company is no better off no matter how well it is funded at the
moment.  I won the battles and lost the war :-(.  The Golden Rule
applied there - those that have the gold make the rules... Right, wrong
or indifferent.  Doing a good job and caring mattered not one whit. 
Sigh...  I realize that leaving there was one of the better moves I have
made, even if things seem really bleak at the moment.
--
Victoria Welch, WV9K, DoD#-13, Net/Sys/WebAdmin SeaStar.org,
vikki.oz.net
"Walking on water and developing software to specification are
easy as long as both are frozen" - Edward V. Berard.
Do not unto others, that which you would not have others do unto you.