On Sys Admins

Interesting snippets from the ;login article [PDF]:

"System administrators have a surprising amount in common with electricians. Both professions require intensive training. Both professions are plagued by amateurs who believe (erroneously) that they can do as good a job as a professional."

"But electricians can call upon several resources that system administrators lack. Electricians have a legally mandated mentorship/apprenticeship program for training novices."

"These certifications test for knowledge of a set of standards for practice—again, mandated by law. The regulations are almost universally accepted as essential to assuring quality workmanship, function, and safety."

"In short, one electrician can leave a job and another can take over with minimal trouble and without any communications between the two, and one can be sure that the work will be completed in the same way and to the same standard. Can any two system administrators, working for different employers, be interchanged in such a fashion?"

Then the article descends into some LSB related info.