Pick your battles.

Post #405,916 by Another Scott 11/3/15 9:46:10 PM Reply	Pick your battles. People who do remote video teleconferencing need a camera. They're cheap. E.g. $20. It doesn't hurt to be able to say, "Yes, I have VTC capabilities. Sure, I'd consider working remotely." Hang in there. Cheers, Scott.
Post #405,930 by lincoln 11/4/15 10:34:42 AM Reply	this was for a telephone interview the PC camera would then be useless if I get the job since I'd be onsite. Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous. - - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897
Post #406,007 by Another Scott 11/5/15 8:31:09 PM 11/5/15 8:56:31 PM Reply	You're causing unnecessary problems for yourself. It really doesn't matter why they want you to have a web camera and Skype or whatever at home. You've heard the business-case reasons why the tools are used, even at an office. You're causing problems for yourself by being combative about these things. You know how the job market is. Outside of IT, there are thousands of jobs that require a bachelor's degree to get an interview, even if objectively there's nothing in actual day-to-day job requirements that someone with a HS diploma couldn't do. It's an employer's market and they aren't having trouble filling positions like that while demanding a college degree, so they do. Questioning why they have those requirements isn't going to get you hired. It's your right to think that recruiters are making ridiculous demands on you. Maybe they are, but the place to find that out is when you get the job offer, not before you even get an interview. When I was dealing with headhunters, they didn't get paid unless I got hired. I assume it's the same today. It's in their interest to make you look good and get your foot in the door. If you make things hard for them, they're not going to call you because they know it's a waste of their time. How would you react if you were in the recruiter's shoes, and called someone who said the things you've posted here? Would you push that guy forward? It's human to be upset about the situation you're in and how badly you've been treated. We know it sucks and it's natural to be angry about it. But that's not helping you. Learn to compartmentalize your anger and frustration. Take a step back, go for a walk, and read this thread again. We're trying to help you. Good luck! Cheers, Scot[t]. Edited by Another Scott Nov. 5, 2015, 08:56:31 PM EST Expand All History
Post #406,039 by lincoln 11/6/15 10:33:03 AM Reply	Re: You're causing unnecessary problems for yourself. You've heard the business-case reasons why the tools are used, even at an office. You're overlooking my point. I've stressed about having these demanded to be installed on my personal computer. If my employer wants them on their PC, the one they give me to use for the job, I've never said word one against it. But onto my computer, I make the final decision. Have you ever had a company require you to install their software onto your computer, so you can do support from home, and when it fucked up your computer the company said, "Sorry. Sucks to be you. We're not responsible and won't help you out?" I have. Having to spend several nights rebuilding a machine, re-installing all of your programs (and getting the settings back the way you had them), losing files that were created since your last backup ... I'm am NEVER going to go through that again. Communication software like WebEx or Skype - and really, who uses Skype from the office for business communication - are not top of the list software needed by programmers; maybe by business analysts, but certainly not necessary to be installed onto my home PC for me to do my job. Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous. - - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897
Post #406,041 by Another Scott 11/6/15 10:39:22 AM Reply	You're picking a tiny hill to die on. Your choice, but think about it some more. See Cyberherbalist's reply here. Good luck. Cheers, Scott.
Post #406,043 by lincoln 11/6/15 10:49:06 AM Reply	So translating your attitude and that of others in this thread is: "Install whatever software the recruiters say to onto your personal computer, install whatever software your employer says onto your personal computer, and if it screws up your machine they have no responsibility to help you fix the problem they caused." I have an idea: why don't everyone in this thread who are employed send me money so I can buy a second PC, preferably a laptop with a built-in camera, and I can install whatever software everybody thinks I should? That way I can have my good machine protected from danger. That's called "putting your money where your mouth is". And I fully expect no one to do that because they gloss over my second paragraph above. I've been burned once by an employer; I'm not letting it happen again. Oh, and don't forget my story from 1 1/2 years ago about when Partition Commander 8 fucked up my machine so badly I had to rebuild it from scratch. All because I was trying to shrink an extended partition so I could expand my C:\. When I called them for help they said the program was too old, they didn't support it, they wouldn't help, and it was all my fault for not upgrading 4 times to the current version 12. Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous. - - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897
Post #406,045 by malraux 11/6/15 10:57:23 AM Reply	If you're trying to interview And you won't provide a means to remotely talk to someone, you're only hurting yourself. If it somehow messes up your machine (you are literally the only person I've heard complain about this, ever), then fix it. Again, you're supposed to be a technical person, comport yourself as one. Real talk: if you can't manage to install and support a simple piece of software like Skype, then you might wish to reconsider your chosen field of work. This is extremely common software used by millions of people. It's 2015. Deal with it. Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #406,046 by Another Scott 11/6/15 11:02:13 AM Reply	You want another machine? Computers can crash for all sorts of reasons. You, as an IT professional, know that. You know the importance of a solid backup strategy and know there are tools to let you wipe a broken machine and get back up and running within an hour or less. If you don't know of such tools, ask and someone here will offer recommendations. Then do it. If you really feel that you need a 2nd PC for work-demanded things, let me know. I probably have one that is suitable. But answer me this first: Are you just making excuses out of resentment? Will your attitude change if you have another machine? Will you start to recognize that there are jobs out there for you, but your attitude and combativeness and excuses are preventing you from getting considered for them - not your technical skills? Until you think long and hard about what we're telling you, and work on improving, hardware isn't going to fix anything. (I'm serious about sending you a PC. I'll even throw in a laptop with a built-in web camera. They won't be state of the art, but they should do the job (people in India aren't running development tools on i7s with 256 GB of RAM...)) Let me know. Cheers, Scott.
Post #406,047 by boxley 11/6/15 12:00:24 PM Reply	I use the cheapest laptop available from walmart $239 or less usually an hp comes pre-loaded with skype camera etc. Invest in yourself. you can kill people for America at age 18 but need to be 21 to buy a beer
Post #406,044 by pwhysall 11/6/15 10:52:36 AM Reply	Re: You're causing unnecessary problems for yourself. Communication software like WebEx or Skype - and really, who uses Skype from the office for business communication - are not top of the list software needed by programmers YES THEY ARE Who, precisely, do you need to hear this from? I've told you, Box has told you, AScott has told you, ScottA has told you. There's no "letters of fire six feet high" tag in HTML. There should be.
Post #406,070 by hnick 11/6/15 6:56:59 PM Reply	You're not helping yourself getting your back up about this. I can empathize to a degree as I am in a somewhat similar position. I'm old; 65 next month, and I still have to work (more to keep me sane, although we still need the income.) I've had to bend and compromise to keep employed. The work I do usually requires me NOT to use my own computer, but then, I don't work entirely remotely. I just started a new gig a few weeks ago. Curiously, the machine they issued me had business skype on it, but it didn't have a VM for the Linux or Visual Studio (or any windows programming editors). I've been working with putty and SSH. Is it wonderful? No, but it keeps Alzheimer away and the dogs fed... If your anger about your situation is more important than your ongoing well being, then you're on the right track. If your ambition is future happiness, you might loosen up a bit and consider: "A $20 camera and a minor pain in my ass vs. a potential good future? Might be worth it." If it isn't worth it to you, your job situation is not your biggest problem. Just my $0.02 if it's worth that much. "Religion, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable." ~ AMBROSE BIERCE (1842-1914)
Post #406,079 by Another Scott 11/6/15 9:59:55 PM Reply	Well said. Hang in there.
Post #406,160 by static 11/9/15 3:39:22 AM Reply	I use Skype. Standard app on all PCs in my org for communication. We use it for instant messaging and for voice calls. It gets used in the daily standup meeting if someone is working from home (which happens often). We use it for talking about Sev 1 and Sev 2 issues with the Ops team who are a third of the way around the world from us. Wade. Just Add Story http://justaddstory.wordpress.com/

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