How Much Respect Do You Get?

droidlev asks: "In our continually fluctuating economy I have seen a drastic change in the level of respect that I receive. As a technician I've grown accustomed to a heightened level of respect when I walk into a client's office. Not to say that I have a God complex, however, it feels good to walk into a room and be appreciated. I'm passionate for the computer work that I do; I'm 'GEEK' for it. People know that I'm there to help and solve their problems. There is good amount of value in this extra level of appreciation and respect. This is especially true when you are developing business relationships (and of course it never hurts to be liked). In recent times, however, I've been cast in a different light; actually more like a darkened shadow. I am now seen as a necessary evil instead of the 'all powerful technician.' So I ask what your experiences have been, either as a computer technician or another professional? Have you seen a change in the level of respect that you receive?"

"Businesses are trying to save every penny they have. Unless something significant goes wrong, they handle a situation themselves. This only compounds the severity of a problem. By the time I get there, everything has gone to hell and I get a look (the it's-all-your-fault look) from every cubicle and every office. In the past, exceptionally dedicated service translated to loyal clients that didn't mind paying a little bit more. Once I was the problem solver, now it seems I am yet another flame to burn their money."

Respect

[ArsenneLupin]

I found I get more respect when I loudly shout "frist psot" as soon as I enter the room

Respect or co-dependence?

[MurrayTodd]

I can't say I get a lot of respect for being a Computer Ace. It certainly hasn't gotten me any dates recently. On the other hand family, friends, distant friends, ex-bosses, neighbors and friends of neighbors have no qualms about assuming I'm their free I.T. service. Respect? I don' t know. Co-dependence? Yeesh!

respect?

[Tumbleweed]

I don't need respect, just obedience.

And no backtalk.

None at all

[dr_dank]

When I was a baby, my bathtub toys were a radio and a toaster.

Respect for a BOFH?

[ikewillis]

BOFHs are to be feared, not respected...

DS

[FLAGGR]

When I show people my custom code running on the nintendo DS, my respect++;

Hi Rodney!

[Rightcoast]

Do you believe in reincarnation?

Is this Rodney Dangerfield reincarnated as "The IT Guy"?

What about outside the office?

[Anonymous Coward]

How much do respect do you get OUTSIDE the office?

The sad thing is, you can save the day, but in the end, you're still a 'computer geek'

When the IT staff starts nailing hot secretaries and interns, instead of goldchain wearing middle managers, you'll impress us.

Take a shower?

[doormat]

Seriously, people don't like other people who smell.

=^)

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

like a plumber

[SpacePunk]

Nobody likes to call the plumber, electrician, etc... Nobody likes to call in a tech for most of the same reasons, although I do try to keep my buttcrack from showing.

Bob didn't respect me...

[C_Kode]

echo "\$0.75/hr" > /data/payroll/managment/IT/bob/payrate

Re:Hi Rodney!

[Profane MuthaFucka]

I can hear the standup routine now:

"The other day I was compiling a program. The compiler said there were 2 errors, 16 warnings, and 1 moron behind the keyboard. T'm telling you, I don't get no respect."

RIP Mr. Dangerfield.

The difference over time

[Brento]

I've noticed one big difference. When a geek asks me what I do, I've been able to give the same answer since 1998: "I work full time for a company maintaining their sites with ASP and SQL Server." Here's a chronology of the responses:

1998: "What's ASP?"

1999: "ASP sucks, man. It's too hard."

2000: "Wow, can I learn ASP? How hard is it? Because I've never done computer work, but I hear it makes a lot of money."

2001: "Ha! ASP? You suck, that's so old-school. You won't have a job in a couple of years. I got a job at Pets.com making twice your salary, and I'm just a receptionist."

2002: "ASP sucks, man. It's all about .NET these days. Besides, you'll be laid off in a week just like me. And Oracle's the bomb, it's worth every penny."

2003: "ASP sucks, man. It's all about PHP these days. And MySQL's the bomb. It'll have stored procedures any day now." (Sorry, just had to throw that one in.)

2004: "ASP sucks, man. It's all about J2EE these days."

2005: "Wow, you have a full time job? Because I'm a programmer and I can't find a job to save my ass."

Re:Respect or co-dependence?

[carpe_noctem]

Being tall helps, too.

Seriously... I'm 6'5", which means that I'm taller than a good 95% of the people that I meet. I think that something in the reptilian part of the brain tells people to be cautious of people/animals bigger than themselves. As much as I hate to admit it, it's a cultural advantage that I was born with.

But, if this alone doesn't get your respect, you can also hold tree branches above your head to appear taller to predators. This works great in an office setting, and most clients never expect it!

Are you..

[Esine]

Are you Bill Gates?

You come when things are broken.

[Caine]

Seriously, a (support) technician is like the plumber. He's only called when something is broken. How much respect do you show your plumber?

Re:respect?

[Tumbleweed]

"Let them hate, so long as they fear"
-- Lucius Accius

Ah, so you've heard of me. Good, that'll save some time. :)

Re:Respect or co-dependence?

[Nimloth]

Seriously... I'm 6'5" [...] I hate to admit it, it's a cultural advantage that I was born with

You were born 6'5"??

Re:Respect or co-dependence?

[flu1d]

I also find that banging pots together and lighting fires will usually keep fellow office workers at bay as well. I'm just getting tired of having to tie my lunch to really high trees to keep them from bothering me in the first place.

I had to win TWO major awards...

[Quiet_Desperation]

...before my company would give me an optical mouse.

When the tech I developed won us a $500 million contract, they gave me a color monitor for my PC.

Re:Respect will continue to decline

[kin_korn_karn]

The are no more Priests of the Temples of Syrinx (obscure Rush reference).
That's not obscure. If you called us all Narpets, or said that Rocinante finally made it through the other side, THOSE are obscure Rush references.

sorry for the nitpick, please carry on...

Re:Respect or co-dependence?

[Tumbleweed]

Am I the only one who doesn't mind doing favors for friends and family?

Probably. That's good to tell us these things - now we can take advantage of you.

My grandma never charged me for her oatmeal raisin cookies

What's grandma done for you lately?

I have frequently asked my lawyer or doctor friends for advice.

Is this the kind of advice where you go in and take up their office time for a _real_ visit, or is it more like a thing where they can send you a canned email response type of advice? Do you listen to their advice? Do they listen to you and install, run, and update antivirus and antispyware software?

My brother is a physical therapist, and he sent me a list of exercises when I sprained my ankle. No bill, just free advice. And a nifty ankle brace that fit into my regular shoes.

That's nice of him, but it probably didn't take him much time, did it?

When you have stupid family members, like I do, who don't listen to your advice, and want you to fix their machine after they get it into a condition where it often takes many hours to fix (if not just a reinstall), this is a different situation altogether. Especially if they're the type of people who keep doing the same stupid things over and over again, that you've already told them how to (easily) avoid in the future.

Re:None at all

[Superfreaker]

When I was a kid I got no respect. The time I was kidnapped, and the kidnappers sent my parents a note they said, "We want five thousand dollars or you'll see your kid again." -RD

Fame and Allure Is Short Lived

[devphaeton]

1980s--> Ridiculed Computer Nerd

1995 --> Socially Defunct Internet Junkie

1998 --> All-Powerful, Universally Loved and Admired Icon of Intellectual Prowess and Thinkgeek Humour

1999 --> Profit!!!

2000s--> Returning to Ridiculed Computer Nerd / Socially Defunct Internet Junkie

Sorry man... as much as we all here on /. love to romanticize about our geekiness, only us geeks appreciate it. Nobody else gives a shit about you or me except you or me.

Re:How much respect do you give the pizza guy?

[filtur]

A ton! If that dude doesn't show up, I don't get to eat that night!

Re:Respect or co-dependence?

[whosyourgeekdaddy]

I'm fat, so they usually cower when I come into the office with that "please don't eat me look in thier eye"...and that look is alot like a look of respect.

No respect at all...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll tell ya, I don't get no respect, no respect at all. When I was a kid, when my parents went shopping, they always took me with them. That way, they could park in the handicapped section.

The other night I had a fight with the dog. My wife said the dog was right. And she told me this right in front of the dog. Now the dog has no respect. My wife throws the ball, he waits for me to bring it back.

I tell ya, nothin goes right. I went into a gay bar. They asked for proof of sex. I showed them proof. They said it wasn't enough.

I don't get no respect. I told my landlord I want to live in a more expensive apartment. He raised the rent!

Last week I saw my psychiatrist. I told him, "Doc, I keep thinking I'm a dog." He told me to get off his couch.

---

I wish Rodney was still alive, healthy, and telling jokes.

I work at Redmond and I'm posting on /. ...

[dark-br]

... do that awnser your question?

*ducks*

Re:wow...

[ZorbaTHut]

If I had mod points, I'd mod it up - it's *funny*.

The fact that it actually *is* the first post just makes it even better.

Re:What about outside the office?

[Anonymous Coward]

When the IT staff starts nailing hot secretaries and interns, instead of goldchain wearing middle managers, you'll impress us.

And I thought getting screwed by middle management was just a euphemism. If you've been nailing the goldchain wearing middle managers, it's probably time to look for a new job. ;)

IN SOVIET RUSSIA

[TheDormouse]

respect gets YOU!! (folks must have mod points to spare when fp get a +4)

Re:Take a shower?

[hawk]

Now why does *everything* on slashdot have to come back to RMS???

hawk

Re:Respect...

[tekunokurato]

In the words of johnathan frakes: "Good god it's JUST A SHOW!"

Re:Respect or co-dependence?

[fulldecent]

I feel bad for his mom

Re:Yeeah, I don't buy it.

[techno-vampire]

If you need to rant against your cow-orkers, there's The Scary Devil Monastary, where such behaviour is accepted (and usually appreciated).

Stop that! You know better! THWAP! The next thing you know, you'll be telling all the lusers here how to propitiate the daemon that guards the dreaded gates so that they can make themselves known. Monk, LART thyself!

Re:What about outside the office?

[sharkey]

When the IT staff starts nailing hot secretaries and interns, instead of goldchain wearing middle managers, you'll impress us.

I'd think the goldchain wearing middle managers would be more interested in the hot secretaries and interns than in the furry-toothed geeks, AND have the money/power to make sexual ladder-climbing desirable, but what do I know?

Re:The difference over time

[sharkey]

Because I'm a programmer and I can't find a job to save my ass.

You should try selling magazine subscriptions. I hear that you can make pretty good money in that field.

Appreciation? Respect?

[o-hayo]

A Jedi craves not these things.

Re:Respect

[Sporkinum]

Maximum Respeck...Booyakasha!

Long live Jack Handy

[far_star]

A man doesn't automatically get my respect. He has to get down on his knees and beg for it.

If You're Not Getting Blowjobs

[Master of Transhuman]

you're not respected.

Guess that lets out everybody on /.

Re:Genuine Vs. Displayed

[djdavetrouble]

....one of my friends Dad said, "You can go anywhere in this world with a wave and a clipboard".

I was trying to imagine surfing a wave on a clipboard to get from point A to point B and thinking your friends dad was a total stoner, then _I_ stopped smoking the bong for a minute and realized that it is I that is the total stoner. Carry on.

Re:wow...

[vsprintf]

I think the fact that your humorless comment was modded as funny proves the GP's point. (Note to moderators: this comment is not funny. HTH)

Re:How much respect do you give the pizza guy?

[vorpal22]

People aren't superior to others.

Bzzzt. Wrong. Anyone - even old cadavers - are superior to advertisers.

Re:wow...

[Anonymous Coward]

Moderators, mod parent up!!! That's hillarious!!!

Re:Genuine Vs. Displayed

[artwells]

My Grandma told me something similar. "You can go anywhere with a white shirt and a smile." Shortly after I followed that advice, I learned that "pants" should definitely be added to that list.

Be forewarned.

Re:Class.

[kevlar]

Speaking as someone who has a measured IQ over 150 (top 0.1%), you couldn't be more wrong. IQ is worth very little. Mensa is full of washouts with entitlement complexes.

Speaking as someone who has a measured IQ of over 750, you couldn't be more wrong. No wait a second...

Speaking as someone who has a measured SAT score of 750, you couldn't be more wrong.

Re:Yeeah, I don't buy it.

[vsprintf]

If you need to rant against your cow-orkers . . .

If someone is orking your cows, you should be ranting to the authorities, providing they aren't busy with your sheep, of course.

Re:Achtung!

[vertinox]

What we have here is a model of authority that is culturally implanted in each of us.

That's why I wear black SWAT BDU's, combat boots, and mirror sunglasses to work.

Re:Genuine Vs. Displayed

[Anonymous Custard]

"You can go anywhere in this world with a wave and a clipboard"

One of my favorite stories (maybe happened, maybe just urban legend) is that some guys wearing unlabeled utility worker gear parked a van on a busy NY street, put up cones (causing traffic), spraypainted lines onto the asphalt, and jackhammered a big square ditch along the lines. Then they packed up their gear, took down the cones, and drove off - leaving a gaping ditch in a busy street. And no one said a thing to them as they were working - everyone just assumed they were there doing official city repair work.

Re:Genuine Vs. Displayed

[kai.chan]

It seems a lot of Slashdot posters marvel at how hair and clothing affects how people react. Ahh, the beauty of an epiphany experience: To finally realize the importance of hair-style and fashion, an aspect of the outside world that Slashdot users have neglected ever since they first touched a computer.

Re:Genuine Vs. Displayed

[Anonymous Coward]

...and realized that it is I that is the total stoner.

I don't mean to be a grammar nazi, but reading this sentence was a bit jarring. In this case, the first-person pronoun is the object and should be "me" instead of "I". I think you may have been confused because your pronoun seems like the subject of the modifying clause, "that is the total stoner."

Re:Genuine Vs. Displayed

[Guppy06]

You obviously weren't smiling enough, then.

Re:wow...

[Zorilla]

Because it's your dog!

Re:wow...

[theonetruekeebler]

"You mean, once the toilet's stopped up and overflowing, I shouldn't flush it anymore? And now you're telling me I need to wait for you before I crap in it again? When I want to crap, I'll crap! Now clean this mess up! What do you mean, you're going to charge me for it? You charged me last week! Now it's broken again---It's obvious you didn't fix it correctly last time!

"A pipe wrench? What do you need a pipe wrench for? Don't swing that at me! You're the problem here, not me!"

Wham! Wham wham crunch crunch crunch wheck wheck spuk spuk spuk spuk

Re:Yeeah, I don't buy it.

[Wolfrider]

"Walk softly, but carry a Damn Big ClueBat Just In Case."

Wolfrider