Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on November 07, 2006 02:30 AM
Hello WarPengi,
That is indeed unfortunate, because you're right, it does sound like worthy work. I had considered the Peace Corps itself, but the problem is that, unlike a college student, I just cannot afford to be away for a two-year assignment. I've still got a house payment to make. On the other hand, I could possibly do a two-month assignment and still keep my job.
See, that's the problem--there isn't really anything geared toward the working IT professional helping out in this way. Or, if there is, it doesn't advertise itself very well. This is exacerbated by the fact that, while well-intentioned, most (not all, *most*) college students just haven't yet been out in the professional world for anywhere near as long as, say, you and I have. This is especially true for Free/Open Source solutions, as most college students do use Microsoft Windows.
The business and "hard-core" technical knowledge therefore tends to be concentrated in somewhat older folks like us. We are, thus, among the best people to be helping out with any such program, while teaching those well-intentioned college students in the Peace Corps how to continue our work (passing on the knowledge, you know). Now, *that* would be a very powerful combination.
For this reason, it may be better overall to help this effort out, even if USAID overall has had a less than stellar history. It's kind of like Microsoft; if I saw them actually successfully contributing to the Linux kernel under the GPL, I would do everything within my power to help that effort while continuing to do everything within my power to block every *other* effort of theirs. The great chemist Linus Pauling set that example. One morning/afternoon, he and Mrs. Pauling were out with picket signs protesting nuclear weapons. That evening, he and Mrs. Pauling were dancing up a storm in a White House ball. He believed in America's ideals overall, just not the use of nuclear weapons.
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Re:Oh no, not USAID
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on November 07, 2006 02:30 AMThat is indeed unfortunate, because you're right, it does sound like worthy work. I had considered the Peace Corps itself, but the problem is that, unlike a college student, I just cannot afford to be away for a two-year assignment. I've still got a house payment to make. On the other hand, I could possibly do a two-month assignment and still keep my job.
See, that's the problem--there isn't really anything geared toward the working IT professional helping out in this way. Or, if there is, it doesn't advertise itself very well. This is exacerbated by the fact that, while well-intentioned, most (not all, *most*) college students just haven't yet been out in the professional world for anywhere near as long as, say, you and I have. This is especially true for Free/Open Source solutions, as most college students do use Microsoft Windows.
The business and "hard-core" technical knowledge therefore tends to be concentrated in somewhat older folks like us. We are, thus, among the best people to be helping out with any such program, while teaching those well-intentioned college students in the Peace Corps how to continue our work (passing on the knowledge, you know). Now, *that* would be a very powerful combination.
For this reason, it may be better overall to help this effort out, even if USAID overall has had a less than stellar history. It's kind of like Microsoft; if I saw them actually successfully contributing to the Linux kernel under the GPL, I would do everything within my power to help that effort while continuing to do everything within my power to block every *other* effort of theirs. The great chemist Linus Pauling set that example. One morning/afternoon, he and Mrs. Pauling were out with picket signs protesting nuclear weapons. That evening, he and Mrs. Pauling were dancing up a storm in a White House ball. He believed in America's ideals overall, just not the use of nuclear weapons.
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