Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Though we hate to admit it, the goal of us who work in computing is to produce a TPS report.

The “TPS Report” is the butt of all office jokes. It is meaningless paperwork that serves no purpose. For a full explanation, see the Wikipedia page on it. Those of us who work in computing have important things to do. We are saving the world or at least a part of the world that we deem important. Right? Huh? Please?

We do software development, software engineering, data, big data, even bigger data, science about all that really big-big-big data, and other such wonderfulness.

Sorry fellow computing-ers. Our job is to make it easy for others to do TPS reports and other such things. Sorry. We work in a business or in a government. If we do not add to the profits of the business or the mission of the government, we do not work.

One of the primary tasks in a business and in a government is to inform others. People inform others with reports. We may call them pages, portals, or (one of my favorites) “dynamic content,” but they are all forms of reports. If we can make it easier for others to inform others, we work and are paid. Otherwise, we are just doing things that interest us. Interesting things are interesting, but usually don’t provide food, clothing, and shelter to ourselves and our families.

Want a job? Want to keep a job? Discover what others are doing to inform others. Use computing to make that easier.