http://www.windowsitpro.com/authors/author/author/5277175/rsscomment/5277175en-USSun, 27 May 2012 06:11:08 GMTSun, 27 May 2012 06:11:08 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/look-out-outlook-spring-cleaning#commentsAnchorSat, 11 Jul 2009 11:00:21 GMT
Hey nice article! I now another Tool, which helps you a lot and helps save time and nerves! Do you know Lookeen? Its a extremly fast Outlook search tool! Reliable, also a Desktop Search etc. Maybe you are interested in...here the url: www.lookeen.net]]>EthanSat, 11 Jul 2009 11:00:21 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/look-out-outlook-spring-cleaning#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorTue, 06 Jan 2009 13:22:12 GMT
ncgmcpherson, You’re right. I should have acknowledged St. Nicholas. Him I believe in. That Coca Cola guy you mention? Not so much. :) And well put--consumers (including myself) tend to try to squeeze trends into black or white: succeed or fail. But just like in life (and my refrigerator) there is a gray area in IT. It’s not all or nothing. iamdavinci, I’m tempted to ask you if you have a bridge to sell me, too. :) But I’ll take your word for it--especially since you agree with me. :) Don’t you still have a shot if what we have now doesn’t completely live up to your unique idea?]]>ChristanTue, 06 Jan 2009 13:22:12 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorTue, 06 Jan 2009 13:12:17 GMT
briwolff, Don’t write off the Cabbage Patch Kids so quickly. I’m predicting a comeback from those pudgy-faced cuties! :) Great point--things are a bit different today. Better connectivity makes cloud computing (or whatever you want to call it) more feasible--but will that make it last?]]>ChristanTue, 06 Jan 2009 13:12:17 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorThu, 04 Dec 2008 14:23:14 GMT
I agree we have had scenarios that resemble Cloud Computing and Cloud Computing in all probability is a BIG marketing buzzword to get venture capitalists happy in one spot but my idea was conceptually unique. We have had LANs and WANs but not something like my Cloud Computing idea.]]>IamThu, 04 Dec 2008 14:23:14 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorThu, 04 Dec 2008 14:18:50 GMT
I invented Cloud Computing in 1998 and with my idea in my head I went to an attorney Dave McCoy who took the invention to IBM with his fellow patent attorney friend and now they sold the idea and are planning on reaping the benefits. But few people fail to relaize that by stealing they have doomed themselves - by the way good article - I don’t believe in Santa Claus or the commercialization of holidays. I hate people who steal other peoples idea.]]>IamThu, 04 Dec 2008 14:18:50 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorThu, 04 Dec 2008 14:18:37 GMT
I invented Cloud Computing in 1998 and with my idea in my head I went to an attorney Dave McCoy who took the invention to IBM with his fellow patent attorney friend and now they sold the idea and are planning on reaping the benefits. But few people fail to relaize that by stealing they have doomed themselves - by the way good article - I don’t believe in Santa Claus or the commercialization of holidays. I hate people who steal other peoples idea.]]>IamThu, 04 Dec 2008 14:18:37 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorThu, 27 Nov 2008 08:37:25 GMT
Christian, First, Saint Nicholas was a real man.http://holidays.kaboose.com/xmas-around-stnicholas.html Now that we have that out of the way. :-) The old saying about the more things change applies here. In large Corporate IT, centralized computing is definitely desired. However, that doesn’t necessarily hold true when you get into the consumer space, and it is a mistake to think it does. That said, this is not an all or nothing scenerio. Obviously, the internet adds a lot of value to both consumers and professionals. However, most people I know do not want their personal data stored on the internet. Although we do like to post some data about ourselves to others we think we know. Additionally, we might like to use web based email at times, but prefer our word processors and spreadsheet programs on the local drive. The point? Cloud computing is pipe dream, like Coca Cola’s Santa Claus. But like St. Nicholas, the internet with its easy access to diverse data is a valued reality that will continue to mature and develop as time goes by.]]>GaryThu, 27 Nov 2008 08:37:25 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorSat, 22 Nov 2008 08:15:55 GMT
Christian - all three are absolutely right, that’s why it’s so confusing to consumers. The fact is, Cloud Computing is here to stay because it adds value - just ask my clients and yes, it’s a buzzword/fad that won’t last - can you say Cabbage Patch kids, Jordach and Beanie Baby? Finally, Amy’s right, we’ve been doing this for a long time and called it something different, like ASP. Do you remember when someone said the Internet was going to change everything? That’s the difference today - same concept, different name, better connectivity - that’s the game-changer.]]>BrianSat, 22 Nov 2008 08:15:55 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/cloud-computing-future-or-farce-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/virtualization-nation#commentsAnchorMon, 03 Nov 2008 11:50:48 GMT
Thanks for reading, jmart87! At the time I wrote this article, the event was still to come. Since then, the RMWTUG (good guess by the way!) Virtualization event has already taken place. It turns out that the leader wasn’t kidding about it being a neutral comparison. The face-off seemed to take back-stage to the presentations. I never heard one or the other named a winner. I’m hoping that tomorrow’s presidential results will be more clearly announced. :) If you’re interested in similar events in the future, please let me know at christan.humphries@windowsitpro.com, and I’ll see what I can find in your area. Also, feel free to contact RMWTUG and let them know they should do it again! Plus, if you’re interested in virtualization in general, we have a free online conference coming up on November 13 and November 20. There is supposed to be a Hyper-V and ESX Server comparison.]]>ChristanMon, 03 Nov 2008 11:50:48 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/virtualization-nation#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/virtualization-nation#commentsAnchorMon, 03 Nov 2008 08:28:49 GMT
When and where is this being held? I don’t see any event scheduled on the RMWTUG site, and the agend for the VMware UG doesn’t show anything about a competition bake-off. I would love to see this 1st hand.]]>jmart87 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:28:49 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/virtualization-nation#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/look-who-s-talking-and-chatting-and-surfing-#commentsAnchorWed, 05 Mar 2008 10:35:01 GMT
"Freaked out" and "scared" ? You may be too sensitive. If your employer’s primary purpose of monitoring is to protect its IT resources, that enable it to operate, then it has that right, and that responsibility - to you. [If an IT crash causes the company to crash, then your job might be in jeopardy.] Plus, you may be responsible, and always get your work done, but that is NOT necessarily true of ALL employees, and is certainly not true of those hackers and malware developers out in the WWW. You may take some comfort in that if your employer IS monitoring, equitably, and DOESN’T make an issue of your occasionally checking your personal email, then that is not where they are concerned.]]>RayGWed, 05 Mar 2008 10:35:01 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/look-who-s-talking-and-chatting-and-surfing-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/look-who-s-talking-and-chatting-and-surfing-#commentsAnchorWed, 05 Mar 2008 08:08:45 GMT
It goes way beyond monitoring. Moniorting is just one of the methods used to keep my business safe. You know how many companies get sued because they have "Created a hostle workplace" because they didnt "prevent" Joe Testosterone from using the Giant Boob Screen saver so the women he works with will know he’s a stud? Go ahead, call me Mordac, the preventor of information services (Dilbert) From my experince, while there are exceptions, most employees where I work dont understand the connection between that cool internet gadget and malware. And thats ok. We dont hire them because of their advanced knowledge of computer security, thats my job. But in an era where China and many other forien nations (not to mention competitors) are desperatly trying to steal information that will give them a technical advantage, its my job to protect my infrastructure from malware, root kits, viruses etc. So as badly as those employees want to install unapproved apps off the internet, weather its some "freeware" that will give them legitimate additional functionality for business use, or some cool screen saver that comes with the Free keylogger that takes your credentials and sends them out to bad guys, to them, My answer is Sorry, No! Not to even mention the fact that if they read deep into the EULA, they’ll find out that what may be free for them to install at home, has to be purchased if the business is going to use it, thus opening the business up to audits and fines. But really, the bottom line is its not your computer to "play with". It is a business tool.]]>GREGWed, 05 Mar 2008 08:08:45 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/look-who-s-talking-and-chatting-and-surfing-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/put-out-by-it-outsourcing#commentsAnchorFri, 01 Feb 2008 09:55:32 GMT
"Has outsourcing put you out--of a job, of your mind?" Yes to both. I can see some aspects of the outsourcing model for smaller companies with lower end IT needs. However, for larger and medium size companies I feel the model is inadequate escpecially when it comes to quality of service. You lose that connection with your clients, their business, their specific needs and even their personalities when you have someone supporting them that’s only in once or twice a week. I think it’s not a beneficial scenario for any company.]]>KevinFri, 01 Feb 2008 09:55:32 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/put-out-by-it-outsourcing#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorMon, 14 Jan 2008 19:02:39 GMT
As a female in IT (consulting) I find have have to prove myself a lot more than many of my male counter parts. Because of this I find that I work much harder to really know the technologies..... a bonus to me as I am forced to really know stuff and wont "fluff it". I also find that I am always challenged and tested by my male counterparts to see if they can trip me up and because of this I am a lot sharper. One of the greatest benefits is that there are a world of men in IT... when I succeed I am one in a few so it is noticed. These poor guys are one in a sea, harder to get noticed in many cases. On the flip side failures are equally noticed, a huge incentive to succeed. Finally when I go to conferences etc ... I dont have to line up for the bathrooms you guys do!!! I consider myself very very lucky as I love the career path I have chosen. Yes it has its days, yes it is the boys club, yes I have been asked to get the coffee - I didn’t and wont, but I can honestly say I love what I do!!! IT Chick]]>KATHMon, 14 Jan 2008 19:02:39 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/sql-server-2005-resources97839#commentsAnchorWed, 09 Jan 2008 21:31:29 GMT
Lost a job to outsourcing on 12/3/04. The company told us they could get 8 support people in India for the cost of one of us. My take on it was that people tend to complain about IT support anyway...why not outsource and let them complain and we save money. The problem was much as you experienced, there was so much frustration with communication barriers, lack of concern, length of time it took to get something done, abandoned calls, SLA’s not being met etc... It’s hard for me to believe they ended up saving money because it got the point that the user would try to resolve their own issues or would just "deal" with dysfunctional apps or hardware. I later found out that the real issue for the outsourcing was to position the company as to appear more profitable by lowering IT overhead. All in order to sell the company, which is what ended up happening.]]>MatthewWed, 09 Jan 2008 21:31:29 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/sql-server-2005-resources97839#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorThu, 27 Dec 2007 13:13:37 GMT
I have been in IT since 1988. I am female. I do soft. dev., db admin., troubleshooting, server and IIS admin. Of the 3 men and 1 woman (me) in my office, guess who is given the "other duties as assigned" (paperwork, meeting organization, procurements, etc...) I am a computer and gadget geek and always have been. I even fix my own plumbing and lawn mowers. However, many of the males in leadership still see things in terms of "little girl work" and "little boy work". While the males can have hours and hours of undisturbed code hacking time, hiding in their little cubicles; I get to juggle my IT duties (what I want to be doing) with my "little girl work" (the secretarial duties). Are we "wired" differently? Could be that our "wiring" isn’t the problem.]]>GINGERThu, 27 Dec 2007 13:13:37 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorTue, 20 Nov 2007 12:50:29 GMT
A response to some comments on this blog: "For all of those who believe ’it’s just that women are wired differently than men’--that’s like saying ’men are taller than women.’ Many men are taller than some women. AND some women are taller than many men. Though there may be a norm, or tendency (culturally and/or biologically induced), there’s still a whole bunch of folks who just don’t fit inside that small bell curve. Culturally, we have this weird tendency to want to stuff everyone back under that curve, especially in regards to gender. These kind of arguments remind me of discussions about racism 40 years ago, where similar arguments were made about blacks just being ’wired differently’ than whites. As to why women don’t stay in IT, I expect it is very similar to the experience of women in Engineering (my sister is a Masters level Mechanical Engineer). She introduced me to the study and book “Women in Engineering: Gender, Power and Workplace Culture” by Judith S. McIlwee and J. Gregg Robinson. It is a comprehensive academic study of the experience and astronomical drop out rate of women engineering students and engineers (http://tinyurl.com/ywcted). It is well worth reading. Though my sister survived the early brutal student days (there were over 60 women in Engineering with her as a freshman; when she graduated, she was one of two left), after working as an Engineer for about a decade, she is no longer working in Engineering because she just kept bumping up against many of the issues outlined in this study; and many of the things you and I have already put forth. It can get very tiring to battle the same stereotypes and assumptions over and over again. I know I feel it. I work with two female engineers (one mechanical and the other software) and I know they feel it too. As to why young girls are not interested in technical stuff--my father used to say to me, when I came home from school proud of myself for besting everyone else in the class on some topic, ’don’t be better than the boys or the boys won’t like you.’ Fortunately I continued to strive to do my best, regardless of what the boys (or my father) might think. And how many times are things taken away from girls out of courtesy or politeness?: ’Here honey--let me take care of that for you…’ One cannot be strong if one always has the opportunity for building strength taken away. The book ’Reviving Ophelia’ by Mary Pipher, Ph.D. (http://www.amazon.com/Reviving-Ophelia-Mary-Pipher/dp/0399139443), also an academic work, does an excellent job addressing the issues of growing up female in our culture. The book offers compelling arguments--cultural arguments-- for why girls who originally excel in math and science, suddenly significantly drop in these areas upon reaching adolescence. Many of those stressors and assumptions are fully alive for adult women too." ]]>ChristanTue, 20 Nov 2007 12:50:29 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorTue, 20 Nov 2007 12:42:06 GMT
Another reader, Scott, wrote: "You ask are women shut off in the IT Community? Not mine. Until recently I was an Army of one. Now I have as an assistant; one bona fide, technical assistant, qualified and ready to work. When I was looking to hire believe it or not, one of my personal goals was to hire… yes… a woman.... I do want to say however when making comparisons such as IT Innovators, that you need to look at the sheer numbers of men versus women before you start lamenting about why they were all men. We can’t simply ignore an innovator because we don’t have enough females on the list. How would you feel if you were put on the list of innovators not because you were an innovator but because somebody thought they needed a ’token’ female on there to look politically correct. If you start putting one gender before another you are simply going back to what we had before; gender bias. Face it, a majority of women still gravitate towards the non technical job roles. I hate to see where the media makes women look bad by virtue of them taking on more ’traditional’ roles in the workforce. A women is no less a person because she takes a role in society that other more powerful women think is beneath them. I think that if all women and all men could understand and embrace our differences the workforce would be a much better place… We are different and no matter how many laws are passed or bras burned we are still different. Recognize that and you will reap the benefits of the opportunities placed before you with that knowledge. Maybe I live with my head in the clouds but my generation (X) does not carry with it the preconceived notions of what a women is or what she should (could) be. Heck you should see the looks I get when I tell a bunch of men I like baking and decorating cakes in my spare time." Now I’m hungry for cake. . . and for more answers! Let me first say that I think all of our Innovators were well-deserving of their awards. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t have wanted any of them to be bumped for a "token" winner. Also, I have plenty of friends--including my mother--who are stay-at-home mothers/wives and aren’t pursuing a more (so-called) "powerful" career. And I don’t see them as less influential or important than those that do work in the business worlds. I’ll say to you what I said to Scott: I suppose my question is not "Is it OK that there aren’t many women in IT?" but instead "Why aren’t there many women in IT?" Scott seemed to say that it’s because of how women are wired, but he also mentions how well-suited his assistant is for her job and how much he appreciates her work performance and qualities. So why is there such a disconnect between the career and such great candidates? Do women just not know how well they’d do at this type of career? Or do they just not care? Sadly, the anonymous reader’s message brought me back to what I feared when I first wrote on this topic: Maybe women aren’t given the chance. And, for the record, why would any (mature) person want a poster with a hot babe on it? (Don’t answer that.) ]]>ChristanTue, 20 Nov 2007 12:42:06 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorTue, 20 Nov 2007 12:41:32 GMT
I’ve received some emails about this Savvy Assistant entry, and I’d like for the readers’ voices to be heard here on the blog. One anonymous reader shared with me: "I believe being a women working in IT does certainly add an extra layer of challenge.… From the small issues through larger ones, I believe that most people, men and women--without realizing it--have an inherent concern that a woman may not fully understand the complexities of a technical problem, may not get to the solution, or may not get to that solution as fast as their male counterparts. Recently I had a fellow attendee at a conference flat out tell me that women aren’t as attentive at solving his technical issues (i.e., when he calls tech support), and he found that instead they just focus on making him feel better.… In summary, I feel the need to always be especially on my toes; I may be the other person’s only experience working with a woman on a technical topic, so to make a gaff of any kind not only reflects on me, but on all womankind. And there already is, in general, a predilection to believe that as woman, I’m not going to cut it. I fear if I make one error, I’ve lost any credibility I’ve painstakingly built. In most cases, I don’t feel there is any maliciousness to this bias. I think it’s just one of those unexamined biases that the majority of us don’t realize we have. Including myself. It’s so pervasive I don’t think we notice it.… Yet my minority status is obvious via any of the following: The occasional gender reference by [a workshop] teacher (the user needing help is typically female; the IT professional is male); Videos, intended to be entertaining, played during a break; marginally sexist jokes (often about wives); contests with prizes very much geared towards ’the guys’ (why would I want a poster with a hot babe on it?). None that offends me as makes me feel singled out.…"]]>ChristanTue, 20 Nov 2007 12:41:32 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorMon, 19 Nov 2007 16:08:40 GMT
Great post, Christan! Re your comment about the dearth of women among the Innovators winners... over the past 3 years we’ve done the Innovators awards, we’ve had 3 entries from women (out of about 200 total entries). Why the low turnout, I cannot say for sure, but something I can speculate on is that perhaps female IT pros, even more so than males, in general are loathe to take sole credit for an "innovation" and so are reluctant to put themselves forward by submitting an entry. We have had a few women who have been either runner-up award winners or IT Pro Heroes since 2005, and most of them have insisted that their co-workers share credit for their accomplishment.]]>AnneMon, 19 Nov 2007 16:08:40 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorMon, 19 Nov 2007 14:47:50 GMT
Thanks to all of you who commented on this topic. I really love hearing your opinions. Most of all, I love knowing that someone actually reads my blog! :) drmicro@att.net You ask "Would you rather have a female tech who knew her stuff and could explain it to you in terms you could understand instead of ’geek speak,’ or a guy who you suspect stays up until the break of dawn playing World of Warcraft, tells you that Debian Linux rulz and you’re supposed to know what that means?" And I had to chuckle a bit because one of my best girl friends stays up til the break of dawn playing WOW. She never mentions Debian Linux to me, though. *woot* I think that we have to be careful and not assume that men are the only ones who use ’geek speak’ when dealing with customers. Would it be safe to say that some female techs are just as unapproachable as some male techs and that some male techs are easier to talk to than some female techs? Or wouldn’t it? I don’t know. I’ve never personally encountered a female tech on an IT project or answering my desperate Help desk call. KarenLForster You rule! I completely agree with you in every respect. (Can I have a raise?) djacobs and the itdude You both bring up an interesting point that might speak to drmicro@att.net’s comment about there being more to the small percentage of women in IT than just "sexist stereotypical reasons." There’s no doubt that women are different than men. Maybe these differences alone are causing the lack of women in IT. Maybe there are less women in IT because women seek different things out of a career than the IT field offers. As Michelle A. Poolet mentioned, women perform differently around men, and since the IT field is dripping with males, it affects the amount of women who try to enter it. mkielman Be careful what you wish for. :)]]>ChristanMon, 19 Nov 2007 14:47:50 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorSun, 18 Nov 2007 15:41:18 GMT
Christian - Please, whatever you do, do not shut up!]]>MEGANSun, 18 Nov 2007 15:41:18 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorFri, 09 Nov 2007 13:29:56 GMT
I can only speak for my daughter, but I think women are wired differently. She was going to take a minor in IT, but found the courses boring. She had trouble with C++, even though she’s had 3.5 averages through college. Nothing against women they’re just different. I bet if we had more women politicians, people wouldn’t be blowing each other up around the world.]]>JoeFri, 09 Nov 2007 13:29:56 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorThu, 08 Nov 2007 22:22:19 GMT
Couple of points Few women in IT - most women do not want to work the long hours and travel as much as the job may require. They get tired of the constant hassle between bosses and end-users. I think men work more for the money and are willing to put up with more hassles to get the compensation. Why women do not speak out as much - my wife and I raised 3 daughters who were all very vocal and participated in discussion in school. They were rare. Many of the girls did not speak out. My wife is currently working with 4th and 5th grade girls. She noticed that she gets better discussion responses from the girls when they are separate from the boys. Not sure if that carries on into adulthood. Why more men than women contribute to technical discussions and know how. Some guys really get satisfaction from experimenting and understanding techie stuff in great detail. Although women are just as capable, I am not sure that the percentage is as high as it is for males. The hospital I work at has a great number of women in leadership positions throughout the organization. Our IT staff has 5 women and 7 men. The men tend to be more technically orientated - network engineers and helpdesk. The women tend to work with applications. We have had one woman apply for an open technical position in the 4 years I have been there. There were probably about 100 men who applied for the same position.]]>DanThu, 08 Nov 2007 22:22:19 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorFri, 02 Nov 2007 08:49:27 GMT
Your point that "there’s got to be more to it" is well taken. This discussion reminds me of a conversation I had with my husband about his chosen field. He’s a high school teacher, but the interesting twist is that he’s from Germany. In Germany, high school teaching is a high-status job and well paid. When we first move to the US, my husband asked me why teaching was such a low-status, low-paid field and why most teachers in this country are female. I think there’s a historical basis for both the status and the preponderance of females in teaching. Teaching was one of the first careers that were socially acceptable for women and became a field dominated by women because it was a field that was open to women way back when. I wonder if something like that dynamic isn’t at work in technical fields--only the other way around?]]>KarenFri, 02 Nov 2007 08:49:27 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorhttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchorWed, 31 Oct 2007 20:35:48 GMT
You’re right, there are far too few women in the IT field. Interesting, given that a large proportion of computer USERS are women. Quick, picture a computer geek. What image comes immediately to mind? I’m betting it’s a nerdy-looking white guy in his twenties, black flood pants, white socks and white short-sleeved shirt, with or without BC glasses. The stereotype is alive and well, folks. I have worked with women in IT and they are no more or less capable than their male counterparts... only that there are far fewer of them. I now own a small IT support company and have only had one female IT tech, albeit only until her husband took a job out of state and they moved. But she was good. In response to a help wanted ad for techs, I got 26 responses. 23 of them were male and the 3 women who applied were programmers, not techs. As a fair percentage of our customers are women, I would love to have a female tech. Don’t get me wrong, my male techs are good, but put yourself in a woman client position. Would you rather have a female tech who knew her stuff and could explain it to you in terms you could understand instead of "geek speak", or a guy who you suspect stays up until the break of dawn playing World of Warcraft, tells you that Debian Linux rulz and you’re supposed to know what that means? Interestingly, most of our senior (senior in terms of age) clients seem to prefer male techs. The one female tech I had, though she was just as good as any of my male techs, was looked on with a jaundiced eye by our more elderly clients, both male and female. Also interesting is the fact that for our corporate clients, more often than not, the office "go to" person for computer problems is a female staffer. I don’t have any answers as to why there is such a small percentage of women in the IT field. Sure, we can cite all the sexist stereotypical reasons til the cows come home, but it seems to me that there’s got to be more to it than that.]]>JamesWed, 31 Oct 2007 20:35:48 GMThttp://www.windowsitpro.com/article/tips/can-you-hear-me-roar-now-#commentsAnchor