2001-03-29 - 4:14 p.m.

A Few Facts, for the Benefit of the Beauracracy

I slept later than I should have this morning and missed a training session I was supposed to attend.

I feel bad about forgetting to wake up. It doesn't seem quite professional. But as far as the training goes... screw 'em.

Maybe I just have an odd mind, but I've always hated training. OK, people need training for some activities. You can't exactly learn heart surgery by trial and error. But when we're talking about computerized record keeping- and not very complicated records- I think there just might be room for people to make and then correct a few mistakes.

I think that people want training, even on simple tasks, because the slow erosion of critical thinking skills in this country has led everyone to want to be spoon-fed. Let's not figure anything out, let's not do any basic research or science, let's download a white paper or take a course and then live by it. When reality fails to conform to the docs, we'll blame reality.

The world is out there, folks, and the cold hard facts take priority over what we read in the trade press. Running your company on Microsoft programs will hurt you, regardless of what the Microsoft ads say. Being stupid will hurt you, no matter how often your Mom told you that you were just as smart as anyone else. Having no useful skills will hurt you, even if you think you have a right to a swanky job.

These are facts. Accept them.

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