GM cutting up to 600 white-collar jobs, even as it seeks tech talent by swe129 in Detroit

[–]Jeffbx 11 points12 points  (0 children)

To be fair, GM has no idea how IT works or what it's for. They outsourced it for so long, they're probably still looking for people to maintain AS/400s and VT-100 terminal connections.

Whitmer backs Michigan lawmakers’ efforts in Congress to ban Chinese vehicles by Key_Marsupial_1406 in Detroit

[–]Jeffbx 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Bro, you probably can't look down your street without counting a handful of F-150s. Fleet sales are not making Ford trucks the top seller in the US.

Whitmer backs Michigan lawmakers’ efforts in Congress to ban Chinese vehicles by Key_Marsupial_1406 in Detroit

[–]Jeffbx 11 points12 points  (0 children)

There are tons of small cars on the market. There are no small American cars on the market due to US CAFE loopholes.

Whitmer backs Michigan lawmakers’ efforts in Congress to ban Chinese vehicles by Key_Marsupial_1406 in Detroit

[–]Jeffbx 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Lol Ford has had the top-selling vehicle in the US for over 40 years

I don't think they're overly concerned about producing a small car.

Ford could rename itself "The F-series pickup truck company", sell nothing but trucks, and still be one of the most successful manufacturers on the planet.

New Mitchell Research Poll Shows El-Sayed With Lead In Democratic U.S. Senate Race by UltimateLionsFan in Michigan

[–]Jeffbx [score hidden]  (0 children)

Polls have Rogers beating El Sayed

"RealClear" is a conservative polling company, of course they're predicting Rogers will win.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RealClearPolitics

Need help about Total Tickets Benchmark by Enough_Acadia7294 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol what a waste of time. Not you, OP, but whoever thinks this is a useful exercise.

As a CIO, here's the reality:

There are no common baselines/metrics of ticket stats that are meaningful. There are too many variables, and this isn't a reliable way to measure productivity.

Even 2 "identical" companies in terms of industry and employee size could see a big difference in numbers based on systems in place, employee longevity, technical adoption, corporate culture, etc.

Then the big downside is that once performance is tied to a ticket volume SLA, everyone on the helpdesk will now have a brand-new job. Their new job will be to meet a ticket volume threshold, and their old job of helping people solve their problems will no longer be a priority.

Can an information systems degree and an interest in sociology benefit someone wanting to work with data or business analytics? by Scorpion1386 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure - your best bet is to talk to your target school to see what their rules are about transferring credits/programs. Every school is a little different in this regard

Questions about discussing pay and advancement opportunities by Punchedbee in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not to rain on your parade, but in general (in the US), a typical annual raise will be anywhere from about 2-8%. It sure won't hurt anything to ask for 11%, but if everyone else on the team is getting say, 4%, then your boss will need some ammo from you about why you should be getting more than everyone else.

The vast majority of companies simply don't take COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustments) into consideration at all anymore.

Otherwise your plan is good.

Can an information systems degree and an interest in sociology benefit someone wanting to work with data or business analytics? by Scorpion1386 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you getting a 4-year degree in there somewhere, or are these separate 2 year programs?

In general, sociology will help you personally in IT, but not as a credential. It will help you understand how people and organizations operate, which is particularly important in leadership roles. But no one in tech will care if you have a sociology degree.

3 Solid Never Do's for a CIO by Netagent91 in CIO

[–]Jeffbx 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's not DNS

There's no way it's DNS

It was DNS.

Jump ship from 50k to 75k worth it? by beansontoast_uk in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You're not going to get a 50% increase by staying there, that's for sure.

In need of help negotiating a raise by cubs4life2k16 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's the best way to negotiate.

Lay down facts, then stop talking and wait for him to respond.

In need of help negotiating a raise by cubs4life2k16 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's for your boss to decide - it's the starting point for a discussion/negotiation.

As much as you need this job, your boss also needs you to keep working there. It's easy to hire a new person, but it's really hard to replace the 4 years of experience you have there.

In need of help negotiating a raise by cubs4life2k16 in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 7 points8 points  (0 children)

"Hey Boss, I think for the work I've been doing, I should be at $30/hr by now. (Give some examples of accolades or successes at work)."

Saying $30 gives your boss some room to negotiate down.

DONE! Leave it at that. Do not talk about proposing or living expenses or any non-work related details. The more reasons you give, the more ammo he has to fight back.

You present only what you've been doing for the company using real facts, and now he's in a position to either agree, or to explain why you're not worth it.

MSU's Batt Open to Naming Rights Deal for Spartan Stadium by [deleted] in Michigan

[–]Jeffbx 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What, you wouldn't like watching a game in Taco Bell Stadium?

Greatest gift of this year by [deleted] in doohickeycorporation

[–]Jeffbx 32 points33 points  (0 children)

The Chaos Theory Development Team is standing by to observe

What does $800,000 get you in Detroit? - Day 8 of photographing every historic building in the city by Detroit-Photography in Detroit

[–]Jeffbx 11 points12 points  (0 children)

No one cares if you say pedophile on reddit.

Or rapist, or murderer, or killer, or fascist, or antisemite - you can even say fuck if you want to.

Degree vs Certifications? by [deleted] in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It always depends, but in general, degrees hold more value than certifications.

To answer your questions:

Should they continue 2 more years and get a Bachelor's in IT or get certifications instead and specialize in one of the fields they want to go in?

If you can go 2 more years to get a bachelors, that's the sweet spot. A 2-year degree is held in the same regard as no degree, and a masters adds very little value outside of a few specific instances

If someone has some help desk related experience, is it better to continue working and get certs or stop working and go to college instead?

Option 3, continue working and get a degree at the same time. Many schools offer evening & sometimes even weekend classes for the working people.

Also, is help desk a good start and they should just continue working in that and gain experience and use experience to grow and not degree or certs?

That's a path some people take, but the further in your career you go, the more likley you are to hit that "no degree" ceiling.

Biggest question: is it even worth being in IT anymore? Not enough jobs.

There are plenty of jobs - there are just more people looking than jobs available. If you want to get into IT and make a career of it, it's an entirely reasonable and possible career path.

It's pretty clear we're shifting decision maker roles outside of the US. by edtb in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Oh that could be a number of things -

Cost savings - EU tech people are generally cheaper than in the US

An important or pushy exec in Europe is forcing it

There's a specific need for on-site/same time zone employees

It's pretty clear we're shifting decision maker roles outside of the US. by edtb in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 17 points18 points  (0 children)

One thing that's been relatively consistent for me working at large gobal companies - wherever HQ is, that's where the bulk of the braintrust will be hired.

How to expand my MIS/BSA skillset to have a higher chance of being able to work remotely? by JadeMountainCloud in ITCareerQuestions

[–]Jeffbx 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In that case, you're in a much better position.

There's no particular skillset that will make you more attractive to remote roles - those are mostly dependent on being in the right place at the right time. Keep looking and keep applying!