Biggest IT Pet Peeves
Since someone hit on all of these this week for me, just thought I’d share a few frustrations. Now, none of these pet peeves were addressed at church, it was more with my real job. But I’m relating these to church.
3. Something for nothing.
Why is it that everyone wants some amazing IT miracle for free? They buy something that IT didn’t tell them would work with stuff we already have, then I have to work some miracle and give them full functionality using Google, a USB cable, and a foil gum wrapper. I guess I forgot to remove the MacGyver tattoo from across my forehead.
2. Casting lots for equipment.
Do you remember the seagulls in Finding Nemo? MINE! MINE! MINE! So funny…and sadly so true. Why is it that when someone gives something up (or quits, moves, etc.) everyone suddenly wants what they had? Is it greed on their part or pride and laziness on mine?
1. The Domino Effect
This one is worth a debate for me. I just can’t stand it when people do this. COMPLETELY HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION. Let’s say the children’s ministry budget for a new PC for the kids worship area. Great! Let’s say they consult IT on what to purchase and they get the right thing. Great! But then….we get this…
“Well, I think I’ll take the new computer. Then you can give my computer to so-and-so, then take their computer and put it at the kids check in station, then put that PC in the kids center….”
Is this a laziness issue for me? Is my time not valuable? Is it appropriate for them to ask for this much effort? Is this how I should spend my time in ministry? Why trade one XP Pro for another? Do I just have a bad attitude?
What are some of your pet peeves?
As far as the domino effect is concerned, that’s simply something I don’t allow unless there’s a VERY *VERY* good reason to do it. When a new PC arrives, it gets prepped and goes to the user it was intended for. The biggest reason? Migrating machines and reconfigging them for different users takes TIME.
If I knew everything there was to know about IT, and had no reason to read or research anything, then I might think differently about spending my time in such ways, but for now, PC “hand-me-down” process only happens under excruciating circumstances.
As far as personal pet peeves, the one that stands out in my mind is when a user calls to report an error happening, either in an application or the OS itself. However, when I inquire about the error, the response usually is “Oh I don’t know, I didn’t read it. I just know it’s giving me an error message.” DAAH! Work with me, people!