Pompous homey Degree?

Prior to my current job, for a span of five years, i had the privilege of meeting and working with some of the best and brightest in the telecommunications and networking industry. I can count on one hand the number of folks with whom i didn’t enjoy working.

Transition to academia and fast forward one year: i’ve exceeded that number already.

I could begin with a sweeping generalization that the ‘P’ in Ph.D. stands for pompous, but that would be a generalization. Looking back, many of the professionals i worked with had Ph.Ds. I wouldn’t be able to give an accurate count since most didn’t advertise.

Is it just corporate versus academia? Arrogant == Academia, Clue == Corporate? My personal observation is the university faculty that leave for corporate careers eventually find themselves back in academia. Does that mean anything? Other than the fact that they lacked business sense, probably not.

I think the increasing pompous percentage is actually related to the different job role.

I came from a consultant role: hired to solve a problem, considered competent in the subject area, expected to work with the client to solve their problem correctly and quickly.

My new role is seen very differently by different people groups: To some i’m a software development manager, others a code monkey, others mr. fix-it when Jay’s not around :-), and still others some nebulous IT support dude.

I don’t care how folks view me or my role. I tend to care when they treat the nebulous IT support dude like an ignorant bond-servant.

Remember, that nebulous IT dude in the corner can toss you out of The Matrix.

Perhaps that behavior is taught to our faculty elite: subservient to their advisor until adorned with the hood and cape, then they become the masters; finding grad students to take into bondage?

Does the hood and cape make you smarter? Superman only had a cape; Batman had a hood and cape, yet still found it appropriate to work together with the Super Friends.

Half of being smart is knowing what you’re dumb at. — Solomon Short

The upside is that i’ve witnessed first-hand faculty working together with their students; showing them the respect they deserve for their valuable research role.

In the end, it boils down to people, not Ph.D’s; all the rest is circumstance. The minority few that never groked the Golden Rule that create heart-burn for those around them.

I’m sure i’ve mistreated others, though rarely intentionally; and for that i’m sorry. Most folks know they can communicate that to me … if i ever offend you, tell me.

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. — Hemingway

Now if only i can get some folks to laugh…