My name is Dave Cushley, hopefully some of you know me, having got here from my MySpace or Facebook, for those of you that do not, here's some information:
I spend a great amount of time staring at computer screens. I have tried a large range of different roles withing IT, currently I'm a Service support Engineer for Data Systems and Solutions, a chunk of Rolls Royce, which apparently is a catch-all job title which means I do trouble shooting, support, development and deal directly with customers. In the future I will be presenting to potential customer the great benefits of... the stuff I do, whatever the hell that may be.
When not staring at computer screens at work I stare at them at home a fair amount. The stereotype of the socially awkward teenage nerd being the only kind of person playing games persists only in the minds of closed-minded people who for some reason think sitting in front of a television like a lump watching Big Brother or Fame Academy is better for you than sitting at a PC interacting with the action going on in front of you, and generally socializing with other people.
Online gaming is a great equalizer. You find yourself speaking with people who you would dismiss or avoid normally. Some of the people Jess and I play City of Heroes with are teenagers, quite often able to ask older people questions which they wouldn't be able to in person. Of course many people use the anonymity of the internet to be complete pricks. Every game or social website has the ability to ignore people however, which is a great function. The equivalent real-life action, force fitting a ball gag to the office idiot, is frowned upon generally.
Back to the work side. I have been working for DS&S for just over a month so I am probably not best placed to comment to heavily on their ways of working. Like all workplaces they have their unique foibles, and anyone can poke holes in another's way of working. The truth is these things evolve and are worked on by so many people over the years that it is close to impossible to enforce any kind of standard. The most important aspects of the job are there: they pay me enough, I get more holiday than I ever have elsewhere, and I get a bonus (an actual real bonus, not a carrot-on-a-stick/maybe bonus). Rolls Royce is one of the very few large British manufacturers left, and one of even fewer that still makes money hand over fist. They have increased revenue by 10% every year for 10 years, make a profit of £7.5 billion a year and have advance orders for another £27 billion. They seem to be one of the few employers in the world that still pass a fair chunk of success back in tangible form to the people that make them the money. In a climate were industrial growth is on the wane is it a coincidence that companies that try and please their employees do well, where the standard approach, at least in IT, is to alienate your staff while leading them by the nose with abstract promises? Probably not.
Home life is going well, we're approaching the end of the decorating/outfitting of the main bedroom. It's now an attractive Mocha colour, which is better than the gaudy purple it was.In related news, flat packed cupboards with sliding doors are a bastard to put together and not really recommended unless necessary. We've ordered a bed, which should arrive in a few weeks and we can move out of Tam's/Zia's/Ange's/Joanne's/Hayley's/the Parent's bedroom (mental note, buy lots of name plates, and perhaps make some male friends?) and into our own. Next up on the home front: bookcase, DVD storage and TV stand, our purdy TV has been living on the coffee table for too long, it deserves a real home, dagnabbit!
That's about all for now, see here for further exciting developments. Dave out.
- I am 30 years of age (shudder)
- I am shorter and wider than is normally considered polite
- I have a girlfriend, Jessica, with whom I live
I spend a great amount of time staring at computer screens. I have tried a large range of different roles withing IT, currently I'm a Service support Engineer for Data Systems and Solutions, a chunk of Rolls Royce, which apparently is a catch-all job title which means I do trouble shooting, support, development and deal directly with customers. In the future I will be presenting to potential customer the great benefits of... the stuff I do, whatever the hell that may be.
When not staring at computer screens at work I stare at them at home a fair amount. The stereotype of the socially awkward teenage nerd being the only kind of person playing games persists only in the minds of closed-minded people who for some reason think sitting in front of a television like a lump watching Big Brother or Fame Academy is better for you than sitting at a PC interacting with the action going on in front of you, and generally socializing with other people.
Online gaming is a great equalizer. You find yourself speaking with people who you would dismiss or avoid normally. Some of the people Jess and I play City of Heroes with are teenagers, quite often able to ask older people questions which they wouldn't be able to in person. Of course many people use the anonymity of the internet to be complete pricks. Every game or social website has the ability to ignore people however, which is a great function. The equivalent real-life action, force fitting a ball gag to the office idiot, is frowned upon generally.
Back to the work side. I have been working for DS&S for just over a month so I am probably not best placed to comment to heavily on their ways of working. Like all workplaces they have their unique foibles, and anyone can poke holes in another's way of working. The truth is these things evolve and are worked on by so many people over the years that it is close to impossible to enforce any kind of standard. The most important aspects of the job are there: they pay me enough, I get more holiday than I ever have elsewhere, and I get a bonus (an actual real bonus, not a carrot-on-a-stick/maybe bonus). Rolls Royce is one of the very few large British manufacturers left, and one of even fewer that still makes money hand over fist. They have increased revenue by 10% every year for 10 years, make a profit of £7.5 billion a year and have advance orders for another £27 billion. They seem to be one of the few employers in the world that still pass a fair chunk of success back in tangible form to the people that make them the money. In a climate were industrial growth is on the wane is it a coincidence that companies that try and please their employees do well, where the standard approach, at least in IT, is to alienate your staff while leading them by the nose with abstract promises? Probably not.
Home life is going well, we're approaching the end of the decorating/outfitting of the main bedroom. It's now an attractive Mocha colour, which is better than the gaudy purple it was.In related news, flat packed cupboards with sliding doors are a bastard to put together and not really recommended unless necessary. We've ordered a bed, which should arrive in a few weeks and we can move out of Tam's/Zia's/Ange's/Joanne's/Hayley's/the Parent's bedroom (mental note, buy lots of name plates, and perhaps make some male friends?) and into our own. Next up on the home front: bookcase, DVD storage and TV stand, our purdy TV has been living on the coffee table for too long, it deserves a real home, dagnabbit!
That's about all for now, see here for further exciting developments. Dave out.
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