What do you do in this situation? My boss is basically a "project coordinator" for our group of about 15 people, and I am a market analyst. During our 1 on 1's, she never has any idea of what I am talking about and just says talk about what I am working on(anything technical or functional) with the other analysts. She is basically a glorified admin in charge of keeping track of who is working on what project, but has no idea what they are actually doing... Aren't bosses supposed to be quasi-competent in their field? I wonder how I expect to get promoted if my boss doesn't even understand what technology is, or what I am doing =/ How am I supposed to work with someone like this, and expect to get promotions/raises from the director? Basically no one has respect for this idiot concerning work-related issues, but she does have good personal relationships with the group... Corporate politics and the people it keeps around...gotta love it
My boss is an idiot
- Thread starter JASANITY
- Start date
StrangerGuy
Diamond Member
- May 9, 2004
- 8,443
- 124
- 106
Wait.... is this your first job? I've only had one boss that ever knew what the hell was going on. Most of the time they are clueless.
Yeah. Must be your first job. You won't get a big raise. And... you won't get promoted. Go contract and get the hell outta there. Damn the man!
It's my fourth job during my short career. 2 competent, 2 idiots so far. At least I know what to look for in the future... But then it makes me wonder, can't anyone be a manager? They do no heavy lifting, yet get paid more? I've done project management in IT and I liked it a lot more than the actual work =P Alas, I am a youngin', and it is tough to land full-time PM jobs because of my age...
seriously, as one youngin to another. Go indie. I don't get ****** any more about education or age. I won't work full-time every again if I can help it.
I am currently getting an MBA while I work, and look forward to being a manager. Interpersonal and presentation skills should be required at any level in any job if you plan to be successful...
Having been a manager here is what I found, and what I ALWAYS (even when I was 15) knew. A manager got where they are by doing good work earlier in their careers. Yeah, they do less now becasue they've done more, and were better at it before.
I got promoted to manager where I worked a while back. The regional manager told me, and the other girl who got promoted as well 'now watch all the complaints I start gettign about you two, just because people are bitter and jealous'. Sure enough, complaints that we don't do enough work start rolling in. Despite the fact that everyone wanted to work the shifts I was on because I was the 'fun' manager, ppl still complained to regional manager. I got promoted because I worked hard, was responsible, didn't dick around and kept my nose clean. In that respect it's just as much about what you DON'T do as what you DO.
No company says 'hey this person is a walking sexual harasment suit, and hasn't lifted a finger in 5 years! Let's promote them'.
I got promoted to manager where I worked a while back. The regional manager told me, and the other girl who got promoted as well 'now watch all the complaints I start gettign about you two, just because people are bitter and jealous'. Sure enough, complaints that we don't do enough work start rolling in. Despite the fact that everyone wanted to work the shifts I was on because I was the 'fun' manager, ppl still complained to regional manager. I got promoted because I worked hard, was responsible, didn't dick around and kept my nose clean. In that respect it's just as much about what you DON'T do as what you DO.
No company says 'hey this person is a walking sexual harasment suit, and hasn't lifted a finger in 5 years! Let's promote them'.
MrChad
Lifer
- Aug 22, 2001
- 13,507
- 3
- 81
A good project manager can do his/her job well with little or no understanding about the technical details of the project. His or her job is exactly as you described it, to keep track of who is working on what and to make sure that everyone is focused and on task. The specific technical skills required for those tasks are, in many cases, irrelevant to the PM.
There your problem. Seriously I've had 3 Male bosses and 2 Female. While 1 male boss was a moron, the 2 females were rude and complained about everything (not saying they were dumb but they weren't nice to work for).
a project manager does not have to be a technical expert? You guys are idiots to say that. When I was a project manager, I am glad to have had my software engineering degree so I knew what developers were talking about, and helped them solve their programming or networking problems. Also, they couldn't BS me and say it would take 1 month to link two pages together through javascript. People who have no technical skills and are managers are just laughed at as people with the technical skills can tell them anything and the sucker non-technical manager just agrees, or is ignorant and makes an idiotic argument.
They don't in my experience, most of our PM's just coordinate tasks and set up people's timesheets. They aren't totally out of the loop but are nowhere near experts on their projects.
Pepsei
Lifer
- Dec 14, 2001
- 12,895
- 1
- 0
what the hell is wrong with you? i didn't call you names, i'm just stating the industry fact, that it is usual that the project manager does not have to be a technical expert. that doesn't mean that i believe it is a good thing. so get off your mighty ivory tower and suck it up.
That's whats wrong with industry, and what I am voicing my concern over. I thought you were saying it is okay for it to be this way, which was taken out of context.
Pepsei
Lifer
- Dec 14, 2001
- 12,895
- 1
- 0
the problem is, when it comes to big projects that requires a lot of resources, it is very hard to find a project manger that is an expert in every fields listed under resources. so the company just hires a "general project manager" who is good at managing people. being an expert in one or two technical skills would be a bonus.
in some cases you get a crappy manager plus extreme micro-management skill to cover up their ineptitude in techinical skills.
in PMP classes they do argue that people management skill is more important than technical skill.
MrChad
Lifer
- Aug 22, 2001
- 13,507
- 3
- 81
It's not what's wrong with this industry. What's wrong with this industry is that everyone is jumping on the software engineering and computer science degree bandwagon, diluting the talent pool. These people come out of college with little real world programming experience (i.e. working in a true software development environment) and with poor communication skills. Then they wonder why they can't find jobs, why they can't get promoted and why all the "code monkey" jobs are moving to India.
Technical skills can be useful for a project manager to some degree, but they are by no means necessary. Her job is not to hold your hand and solve your technical issues. It's to make sure that you have all the tools and resources necessary to get your job done in the time required. As long as she's doing that, she's doing a good job.
Pepsei
Lifer
- Dec 14, 2001
- 12,895
- 1
- 0
Project management is a science, with its formal methods, processes, tools, certifications, metrics, and industry standards. Experts insist that it is also an art, where a good corporate project leader is fully engaged in the project vision, and in the organizational politics and people. In fact, the art of leading the people in the project is far more important than the science of the technical tools of the trade.
Basically very similar to what was taught to me when i took a project management class... i was very suprised at how little they emphasizes on the importance of technical skills.
Basically very similar to what was taught to me when i took a project management class... i was very suprised at how little they emphasizes on the importance of technical skills.
To the worker bee's, a PM with technical skills is highly respected, and results in a strong following. When you do not have the technical skills, they will not respect you, nor work half as hard as a PM with technical skills. I have seen projects die because of a PM with no technical skills, that could not even hold a conversation in our group meetings... I have never heard "I will get back to you later" so much in my life. ie project died.
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