The 1990's was a Magical time in Silicon Valley.
Walking into Classrooms and Office buildings full of Beige Case computers with Beige CRT Monitors.
Windows 3.11, NT, and Win95/98 and Macs and Beige Printers.

A BIG HEAVY computer is what everyone wanted back then.
Today People want Small light portable Notebooks.
People were excited to learn computers and it made them feel good to know they were on the Right path to Building a better World.
Working with the Latest Technologies.

Steve Jobs and Bill gates said "Technology should benefit everyone".
"Good People want to work with the Best. Working with the Best Makes you Better".

It’s Ironic that Online Banking and Online shopping killed off the local Computer stores.
Computers creating their own doom and demise.
The PC has become a disposable credit card reader for Apple Pay, Google wallet, and Microsoft Store purchases.
Pay as you go. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I learnt programming in books as a kid around 1999/2000. Even if I was really passionate about computers i was not "good at math" back then. The school counselor's advice for me was to become either a truck driver or to work as a landscape architect. My parents pushed me really hard to follow the counsellor's advice.

I studied landscape architecture / environment / water management.... and lost a bit of my interests in that right after graduating.

I realized that following the counsellor's advice was a mistake. I joined university to study computer science because that was what I always wanted to do. To my surprise, my self taught programming knowledge was quite advanced and i stayed for a few more years to get a MSc in Computer science.

I still like landscape architecture and environment... just a bit less than computers.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2024-04-23, 09:19:

Online shopping killed off the local Computer stores.

Bit off topic but found this interesting about owning a computer store.
https://youtu.be/YS2T-juTj_M?si=62sd5b-b9ya1-KUn

I have a mechanical engineering degree but I never worked in computers/tech or even engineering, I am now a treasury director at a large congolmerate.

I'm an accountant by profession and also have a B.Com degree in Management Accountancy. For the past 22 years I've worked in the Pension Fund industry.

In my local vintage group I'm probably the only one who does not work in IT in some sort of capacity.

I like to tinker with old computer hardware as a hobby but, having no electronic background has made it a bit more challenging to fault find problems on some of my hardware (for e.g., to figure out why a 486 motherboard doesn't even want to start up).

Fortunately, this site and some YouTube channels has taught me a lot.

Electrical trade, then straight into drafting which I've been at for 25+ years. It's not IT, but most people I know think I'm in IT.

chinny22 wrote on 2024-04-24, 06:31:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2024-04-23, 09:19:

Online shopping killed off the local Computer stores.

Bit off topic but found this interesting about owning a computer store.
https://youtu.be/YS2T-juTj_M?si=62sd5b-b9ya1-KUn

Interesting, yah, every few months since 1993 when I figured out how to put PCs together myself, I'd be thinking about starting a computer sales/repair from basement or garage, and the sheer rapidity of depreciation gave me the heebie geebies as it related to turning stock over. Seemed like soft fruit, that in a grocery setting you can sell to the same ppl twice a week maybe, but twice a year might be pushing it for repeat custom, more like once every couple of years. You get one "halo" piece $1000 CPU at a slim margin just so you can be seen to offer cutting edge, then Intel rolls out a new one and chops price to $400, aaargh, $600 just went byebye... I could never see good ways to cope with it, seemed like trying to run a breakfast restaurant off a two burner stove on a toboggan while you tried to out-ski an avalanche. I guess I had a pause in that thinking from about 2007 to maybe 2018 when desktop gaming "came back" then started wondering about it again. Really I haven't had the energy in the last decade though.

theelf wrote on 2024-04-20, 08:44:

Im computer programmer, but I work as construction worker here in spain because is better paid

You were probably tired of those TPS reports as well.

DosFreak wrote on 2024-04-24, 14:28:

theelf wrote on 2024-04-20, 08:44:

Im computer programmer, but I work as construction worker here in spain because is better paid

You were probably tired of those TPS reports as well.

Yeah.... I'm gonna need you to come in on Saturday.

demiurge wrote on 2024-04-19, 21:27:

I'm a nuclear engineer and health physicist. I specifically didn't get into IT as a profession because I didn't want to lose my love of it as drudgery day job.

I'm a health physicist too, but working at a cancer centre! My work is more related to ensuring that our staff are safe as we deliver radiation therapy, but I'm also involved in our provincial radiation safety program and in public/university education. My interest in retro computing has come in handy a few times as some of our measurement devices need old hardware and software; one of our gamma spectroscopy setups is still running on a P166 with Windows 95, and every day I am amazed that the hard drive hasn't died yet after decades of power-on time.

MadMac_5 wrote on 2024-04-24, 18:17:

demiurge wrote on 2024-04-19, 21:27:

I'm a nuclear engineer and health physicist. I specifically didn't get into IT as a profession because I didn't want to lose my love of it as drudgery day job.

I'm a health physicist too, but working at a cancer centre! My work is more related to ensuring that our staff are safe as we deliver radiation therapy, but I'm also involved in our provincial radiation safety program and in public/university education. My interest in retro computing has come in handy a few times as some of our measurement devices need old hardware and software; one of our gamma spectroscopy setups is still running on a P166 with Windows 95, and every day I am amazed that the hard drive hasn't died yet after decades of power-on time.

This stresses me out and I'm not even involved! I hope you have an image on hand that could be used after a failure.

DosFreak wrote on 2024-04-24, 14:28:

theelf wrote on 2024-04-20, 08:44:

Im computer programmer, but I work as construction worker here in spain because is better paid

You were probably tired of those TPS reports as well.

Hi! to be true, i need to google what "TPS report" is.. i did not understand very well yet, but i think never have any of this stuff here in spain or argentina where i born. The last years i work as informatic i was working as robot programmer in automotive Industry, mostly engel and italtec robots, and cobol database for banks, but normally nobody talk much to programmer guy, i did not fix printer or this things, then no much mails or calls

Sadly this last years Im getting old and outdated, and payment is less and less good for my area. As cobol programmer sometimes i only get 4 or 5 euro hour payment, and robot factories most close in my town and payment is worst sometimes.

I have a friend that work as construction worker and toll me that they will pay me 9 euro hour! almost double than computer job! dont like at all... but well... is almost double salary

I really want to work as computer programmer again, or computer technic, but i need to be better paid, because i have mortgage, family... jeje

MadMac_5 wrote on 2024-04-24, 18:17:

demiurge wrote on 2024-04-19, 21:27:

I'm a nuclear engineer and health physicist. I specifically didn't get into IT as a profession because I didn't want to lose my love of it as drudgery day job.

I'm a health physicist too, but working at a cancer centre! My work is more related to ensuring that our staff are safe as we deliver radiation therapy, but I'm also involved in our provincial radiation safety program and in public/university education. My interest in retro computing has come in handy a few times as some of our measurement devices need old hardware and software; one of our gamma spectroscopy setups is still running on a P166 with Windows 95, and every day I am amazed that the hard drive hasn't died yet after decades of power-on time.

Hahaha. Most of our equipment is so old it is analog. In fact I am known to my colleagues at scoffing at anything with software. I don't want my radiation detectors to fail because of a software bug. The THERAC-25 disaster was not a radiation detector but it was a software bug that killed people with radiation.

I think our oldest software runs on QNX I don't know if it is version 4 or 6.

theelf wrote on 2024-04-24, 21:37:

Hi! to be true, i need to google what "TPS report" is.. i did not understand very well yet, but i think never have any of this […]
Show full quote

DosFreak wrote on 2024-04-24, 14:28:

theelf wrote on 2024-04-20, 08:44:

Im computer programmer, but I work as construction worker here in spain because is better paid

You were probably tired of those TPS reports as well.

Hi! to be true, i need to google what "TPS report" is.. i did not understand very well yet, but i think never have any of this stuff here in spain or argentina where i born. The last years i work as informatic i was working as robot programmer in automotive Industry, mostly engel and italtec robots, and cobol database for banks, but normally nobody talk much to programmer guy, i did not fix printer or this things, then no much mails or calls

Sadly this last years Im getting old and outdated, and payment is less and less good for my area. As cobol programmer sometimes i only get 4 or 5 euro hour payment, and robot factories most close in my town and payment is worst sometimes.

I have a friend that work as construction worker and toll me that they will pay me 9 euro hour! almost double than computer job! dont like at all... but well... is almost double salary

I really want to work as computer programmer again, or computer technic, but i need to be better paid, because i have mortgage, family... jeje

It's from a movie about how corporate culture sucks the life out of everyone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3rjQGc6lA

Fortunately it's about corporate culture from the 90's, which is marginally less scary than what we have today.

theelf wrote on 2024-04-24, 21:37:

Hi! to be true, i need to google what "TPS report" is.. i did not understand very well yet, but i think never have any of this […]
Show full quote

DosFreak wrote on 2024-04-24, 14:28:

theelf wrote on 2024-04-20, 08:44:

Im computer programmer, but I work as construction worker here in spain because is better paid

You were probably tired of those TPS reports as well.

Hi! to be true, i need to google what "TPS report" is.. i did not understand very well yet, but i think never have any of this stuff here in spain or argentina where i born. The last years i work as informatic i was working as robot programmer in automotive Industry, mostly engel and italtec robots, and cobol database for banks, but normally nobody talk much to programmer guy, i did not fix printer or this things, then no much mails or calls

Sadly this last years Im getting old and outdated, and payment is less and less good for my area. As cobol programmer sometimes i only get 4 or 5 euro hour payment, and robot factories most close in my town and payment is worst sometimes.

I have a friend that work as construction worker and toll me that they will pay me 9 euro hour! almost double than computer job! dont like at all... but well... is almost double salary

I really want to work as computer programmer again, or computer technic, but i need to be better paid, because i have mortgage, family... jeje

Wow...
That's a shame you had to leave a job you liked. I really feel bad for you.
There are a lot of areas where Cobol programming is a sought after skill. I've looked a bit for Cobol Jobs offered in France and yes, there are some offers (And the pay is in the 30k€ to 60k€ range (pre-taxes) annually, which is the typical salary range for dev jobs here). Have you considered remote jobs ? Since the pandemic, a lot of companies changed their opinions and remote jobs are plenty. (and since you seem to live in europe, it's even easier for legal details and for the timezone)

mothergoose729 wrote on 2024-04-24, 22:50:

It's from a movie about how corporate culture sucks the life out of everyone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3rjQGc6lA […]
Show full quote

theelf wrote on 2024-04-24, 21:37:

Hi! to be true, i need to google what "TPS report" is.. i did not understand very well yet, but i think never have any of this […]
Show full quote

DosFreak wrote on 2024-04-24, 14:28:

You were probably tired of those TPS reports as well.

Hi! to be true, i need to google what "TPS report" is.. i did not understand very well yet, but i think never have any of this stuff here in spain or argentina where i born. The last years i work as informatic i was working as robot programmer in automotive Industry, mostly engel and italtec robots, and cobol database for banks, but normally nobody talk much to programmer guy, i did not fix printer or this things, then no much mails or calls

Sadly this last years Im getting old and outdated, and payment is less and less good for my area. As cobol programmer sometimes i only get 4 or 5 euro hour payment, and robot factories most close in my town and payment is worst sometimes.

I have a friend that work as construction worker and toll me that they will pay me 9 euro hour! almost double than computer job! dont like at all... but well... is almost double salary

I really want to work as computer programmer again, or computer technic, but i need to be better paid, because i have mortgage, family... jeje

It's from a movie about how corporate culture sucks the life out of everyone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3rjQGc6lA

Fortunately it's about corporate culture from the 90's, which is marginally less scary than what we have today.

Sadly a lot of people still in management seem to think that movie is a "how to" guide for management practices.

If folks on here haven't seen it, it's worth a watch....

"PC load letter???!??!?"

I worked in IT for 5 years and burned out faster than an Athlon without heatsink. Local jobs never wanted to pay a decent wage so the only option was the city but that meant sitting on the bus for 2 hours every day. The job was okay most of the time but they always expected me to do everything even if it wasn’t even remotely computer related.
I was the sysadmin/phone guy/electrician/helpdesk/web developer/database admin/project manager/secretary and caretaker in one person, all for the same salary. This also meant that I had to provide phone support for the staff when I was on a holiday or sick leave because they were too cheap to hire a replacement. My motivation quickly plummeted and I left the industry for good when they decided that I should be responsible for the social media outlets as well.
When an opportunity came to be the assistant of the local GP I immediately took it. It’s literally 5 minutes from home and even though it’s officially a 9-5 job, we only have to do 4 hours a day during consulting hours. That was a huge deal for me because I wanted to spend as much time with my family as possible while also earning a decent wage. It's my dream job that also allows me to have time for hobbies and friends. The doc is my only coworker and we get along great.
Cons: We are also required to perform medical examinations and that means we are responsible for creating the death certificates. Tons of house calls to inspect deceased people so that's not that jolly. Got used to it though.
I still like IT but the love is gone, I'm actually relieved that I don't have to deal with corporate bs ever again.

Ensign Nemo wrote on 2024-04-24, 20:40:

This stresses me out and I'm not even involved! I hope you have an image on hand that could be used after a failure.

Drive image? Hell, we don't even have the original floppy disk set or CD-ROM with the software anymore, at least I didn't find it when cleaning out crap two years ago. If that hard drive dies, then that means I finally get some incentive to commission the digital gamma spectrometer that we bought years ago. 😉

MadMac_5 wrote on 2024-04-26, 20:49:

Ensign Nemo wrote on 2024-04-24, 20:40:

This stresses me out and I'm not even involved! I hope you have an image on hand that could be used after a failure.

Drive image? Hell, we don't even have the original floppy disk set or CD-ROM with the software anymore, at least I didn't find it when cleaning out crap two years ago. If that hard drive dies, then that means I finally get some incentive to commission the digital gamma spectrometer that we bought years ago. 😉

Out of curiosity, why aren't you using that in the first place? Are there any advantages to the older technology or is it just a hassle to switch over?

I'm in IT just because it seemed like the only thing I could manage and not be totally useless at. I hate it though, wish I could escape, but it seems the only escapes are suicide or winning the lottery.