How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

[David Hardy]

This discussion reminds me of a number of IT job interviews I had where the
tech questions asked of me were delivered in a smug, condescending tone, and
if I didn't know every single facet of their infrastructure when I walked
through their door, then I must be a dolt and a fool.  (I only had 13 years
in IT across multiple hw and sw platforms.)   At one interview right here in
 town, the interviewer actually smirked and grinned at his manager when I
didn't know some arcane and obsure sw app.  After 90 minutes of this,, I
never heard from them again.  Good.  I wouldn't want to work with such
people anyway.
The archness and smug attitude is way too prevalent among IT professionals
and that is one reason I said goodbye to all that.

YMMV



On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 2:40 PM, Bruce Labitt
<bruce.labitt at myfairpoint.net>wrote:

> As the person who may or may not have been the object of the OP, allow
> me to make a comment.
>
> I found the linked document to be both condescending and informative.
> For a while I was quite irritated.  I think I'm over it now.
>
> There are better ways to ask a question so that one can get good
> answers.  As others have noted, usually ill framed questions come about
> because the OP doesn't have quite have a handle on what is going on.
> Often these questions can be exploratory in nature. I don't think these
> kinds questions should be crapped upon.  How else can one learn?  And
> yes, I have regretted hitting the send button many a time, where I've
> ill framed a question, but, hey I get over it, so others can too.
>
> So if someone doesn't want to help, don't.  If you can't be bothered,
> that's ok, I don't mind.  If you'd like to help, please do.  I'm sure
> the questioner would appreciate a helpful answer, even if it includes a
> request for clarification.
>
> -Bruce
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> gnhlug-discuss mailing list
> gnhlug-discuss at mail.gnhlug.org
> http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/private/gnhlug-discuss/attachments/20091010/62c31921/attachment.html