RE: survey results, part 2

[Andy Poling <andy@globalauctions.com>]

On Tue, 3 Mar 1998, Gibson, Eric admitted/claimed:
> I've never implimented
> DNS, never used it, never even seen it.  But I'm still a darned good systems
> administrator in spite of that.

Many self-proclaimed SA's are such in their own minds only.

I'm sorry if that sounds mean, but you did ask for it.  :-)

If you don't understand DNS then you don't properly understand TCP/IP.  And
if you don't understand TCP/IP then you don't really understand networking.
And if you don't understand networking, then I hate to be the one to tell
you, but you're not a very good SA.

Just because you're not (currently) using something as fundamental as DNS is
no excuse for not keeping your knowledge current and broad.  It is incumbent
upon you, as a professional, to do so.


>    One needn't *necessarily* know the inner workings of the machine to
> be able to administer it well.

This is one of my major buttons...

If you don't understand the inner workings of the OS (which is even more
important than understanding the inner workings of the machine - both
invaluable in a _real_ system administrator) then perhaps a better title for
you would be System Monitor, Manual Reader and Phone Dialer...

Would you hand over your brand new car for repair (or even maintenance) to a
mechanic who didn't know how a transmission works, and yet claimed to be a
"darned good" mechanic?

Would you select a doctor who didn't know how your circulatory system works,
yet claimed to be a "darned good" doctor?

Would you hire an account to do your taxes if they didn't know what an IRA
was, but claimed to be a "darned good" accountant?


> I will safely wager that very few companies touch on every single aspect
> of systems administration

Oh, I see.  Because *some* employers don't need a full skill set, you should
be able to call yourself a SA with a fundamentally incomplete skill set?
Ever heard of a NOT gate?  :-)

Just because they don't (currently) need some fundamental skill from you
doesn't mean they shouldn't expect/require it.

-Andy