Ten IT jobs to save up for those rare lulls
Summary: It's not a bad idea to have a few IT tasks in reserve in the unlikely event that the daily grind eventually lets up, says Jack Wallen
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Untidy office
It may seem that every minute is filled with emergencies, data migrations, backup clean-ups and end-user hand-holding. But it's just possible that IT staff can end up with time to spare. That's the moment to turn to the tasks that get squeezed out by everyday demands. Here's my take on what those jobs might be.
1. Tidy up
When things are constantly hectic, disorder can establish itself in the shop or departmental offices. Yet a clean environment is conducive to efficient operations. So, when things are slow, it's time to clean up, get rid of old and dead kit and even rearrange furniture for a better layout.
Image credit: Jaek Muran
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Talkback
1) Play hoopla with write permit rings & a can of screen cleaner.
2) Make enormous paper chains (Christmas time only).
3) Read the entire 'Lord of the Rings' in a single night shift.
4) Underseal car (yes seriously).
5) Think up ever more daring practical jokes to play on the installation manager.
happy days ....
Old tapes so we didn't have to rewind them afterwards.
3. If you tidy up, other people can understand where the cables connect and you'll be less in demand.
4. Yes to study, No to showing juniors around. They'll respect your knowledge right up until they steal your job and salary.
5. Don't even think of cleaning up your working code. 99 % of the time you'll break the program, besides if other people understand your code, you might be out of a job.
7. I agree with this but there's a danger that if other people understand your code, you might be out of a job.
8. Absolutely but store it at home out of other people's (your boss and people after your job) access.
9. Yes - but wouldn't you rather go to the pub ?
10. Yes, but announce it as a planned strategy so that when an attack occurs you can use it to justify a budget increase or a higher salary.