The grammar school I went to got an IT tech only when all the new hardware was installed (C2K system when I was in 5th year IIRC). He was cool... always had time for any student who knew wtf they were talking about when it came to computers etc. I think hes the biggest networking genius I've ever come across... there was nothing he didnt know about PC networking. I think he actually had a degree in Communications and software which would explain that. My Dad is a lecturer at the local further education college in the city where I live, and their IT department are, like may, total tools. I hold the opinion (after seeing some of their work) that some of them couldnt find their ass with both hands. I'm always going into Dads lecture room and fixing cockups theyve made with his PC, or the ones he has for his students. And don;t even get me started on his laptop He says the main issue is that his building (Light & Heavy vehicle motor mechanics, carpentry & joinery and vehicle Body repair) is away from the main campus, and the IT department never pay much attention to them so they kinda have to fend for themselves or keep shouting down the phone until someone comes
There's no real standardisation as far as IT guys go in schools, not in England at least. Couple to the fact that we're vastly under paid (seriously,) it's not surprising that you find part time teachers or people who just don't know what they're doing as IT administrators. We're fortunate in our school that the people in our department all have computing experience prior to working there.
We used to spend our free periods in college playing unreal tournament on the network, which was of course totally against the rules. The IT staff knew all about it, but couldn't do anything unless they actually caught us at it in person, so they used to patrol the computer rooms seeing what we were up to. The standard tactic when we saw one was just to hit the off button, as they couldn't do anything if the PC wasn't on. Once I was sitting in one of the computer rooms doing some coursework when they appeared at the doorway, and the first thing I did out of habit was jab the off button. Lost about an hours work
My School's IT Technicians were complete arseholes. They had no idea what they were talking about. They constantly had a 24 pack multipack of Walkers crisps in their office and played Colin McRae Rally all day long. They never really seemed to do anything.
When I was an assistant to the sys admin at my high school, most of what we did all day was a) deploying new systems or updates (for as much as I hated Altiris as a student, I loved it as a sys admin) or b) repairing the old systems. We certainly didn't dick around all day or treat people poorly.
trust me i wouldnt have signed it, I was 14 at the time, and something like that, i dont have to sign unless a parent was there. I told them i wanted my Mom there, and they said no. They said I wouldnt be released until I signed the paper, and this was before lunch. They held me and the others in the room till right before the last lunch ended. We cant sue the schools because the state would say there are no records of this happening...
i only became 'computer technical' very late in my life (so it seems). i always had a tendency to crack open anything not bolted down by god himself (i did try), but i was already 19 when i focussed my attention to computers. i can say i was not a computer-illiterate, but i never did anything complex enough to piss off the guy (teaching geography) who maintained the schools computers.
So this thread has made clear that some School Network Admins are total idiots, and some School Network Admins are utter genius. Isn't that like most jobs?
I didn't want to be an IT technician anyway... I wanted to be a lumberjack. Leaping from tree to tree as they float down the mighty rivers of British Columbia!
I'm a student at highschool and our network admin are lazy as hell they usually stay in their office playing halo... so most of the teacher instead depends on me for netowrking problems and computer problems imma try to get a job once i grad. (junior right now) at the school see if somehow i can help and try to be more of a help...
First Day I entered High school ( grade 10 ) It was the first year that we have IT lesson The Teacher was the noobest IT dude I ever saw in my life. I always fixed those 60 computers ( 30 in each lab ) all the time. I was the only one who know how to fix them. I never learned a crap from those IT lessons. It was a waste of time really
I never really had any dealings with any of our admin guys (except the one who was our networking teacher) because I hated networking. They used to hold a kind of competition though, anyone who could hack into the network had the chance of a job. My mate hacked it and has now worked his way up the ladder a bit.
School IT techs at my High school are clever and know what to do, but they just annoy the hell out of you. I was doing research into two websites (Xbox websites) for my A2 Level coursework and asked for 2 sites to be unblocked so I can use them to get screenshots etc. Got told "No, there is too much swearing and you can play games on those websites" when a) I'm 17. A little swearing isn't going to destroy my life, and b) there are no games on those websites, just discussion about games.
Argh My school's technicians are complete idiots! So, at the start of this year the school had wifi put in so that it covered the whole school with internet access for the laptops they were buying - and apart from a few problems in the first week they've worked fine since then with perfect coverage... ...then I get back from my Easter break and find that they've replaced ALL the old wifi boxes with new ones covered in antenna and now guess what? Terrible coverage and useless speed when you can get a connection. Well spent money indeed...
