The Off Topic Topic

[The Brain]

"Best" is such an abstract concept.
It's rare there's one absolute unquestionably best person. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit.

That's not my experience at all when it comes to promotions. But of course YMMV.

[Eddie Teach]

And even though I'm done having babies I do firmly believe we should do more to make having babies easier - we're well below replacement level fertility in pretty much all of the western world.

Yes. This isn't even something like ubi where its all theoretical and unprovable either way without going all in.
Sweden clearly shows that enhanced paternity leave, help for parents, etc... Leads to a boosted birth rate.

Would be nice to see more child benefits linked to income. At the moment there are heavy caps in place. We should have encouraging higher earners to have more kids.

My only hope is 12/3/21
Not quite so destined for a career as an astronaut but maths skills are good to have.

If she can hang on for another month, you can fly to US and still have your 4/3/21 birth date.

And then his ship will end up like the Mars climate orbiter

Remind me, how many Brits have walked on the moon?

[Josquius]

"Best" is such an abstract concept.
It's rare there's one absolute unquestionably best person. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit.

That's not my experience at all when it comes to promotions. But of course YMMV.

OK. I correct myself. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit, and some barely competent slick talker who has been at the company for a long time and is friends with the decision makers. They choose the latter guy.

[Tamas]

"Best" is such an abstract concept.
It's rare there's one absolute unquestionably best person. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit.

That's not my experience at all when it comes to promotions. But of course YMMV.

OK. I correct myself. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit, and some barely competent slick talker who has been at the company for a long time and is friends with the decision makers. They choose the latter guy.

Often yes but that's not "wokey'" stuff that's just social skills and in some (a lot) of cases a varying degree of lack of spine. I have long accepted that I have no inclination (and little skill) to be a suckup so yeah I usually wasn't the first to get promoted up from a team/position, but skills do play a part having those have helped me.

[Josquius]

"Best" is such an abstract concept.
It's rare there's one absolute unquestionably best person. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit.

That's not my experience at all when it comes to promotions. But of course YMMV.

OK. I correct myself. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit, and some barely competent slick talker who has been at the company for a long time and is friends with the decision makers. They choose the latter guy.

Often yes but that's not "wokey'" stuff that's just social skills and in some (a lot) of cases a varying degree of lack of spine. I have long accepted that I have no inclination (and little skill) to be a suckup so yeah I usually wasn't the first to get promoted up from a team/position, but skills do play a part having those have helped me.

I meant with the corrected version that this happens before any consideration between decent candidates, looking at diversity as part of this, is even considered.

[Tamas]

"Best" is such an abstract concept.
It's rare there's one absolute unquestionably best person. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit.

That's not my experience at all when it comes to promotions. But of course YMMV.

OK. I correct myself. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit, and some barely competent slick talker who has been at the company for a long time and is friends with the decision makers. They choose the latter guy.

Often yes but that's not "wokey'" stuff that's just social skills and in some (a lot) of cases a varying degree of lack of spine. I have long accepted that I have no inclination (and little skill) to be a suckup so yeah I usually wasn't the first to get promoted up from a team/position, but skills do play a part having those have helped me.

I meant with the corrected version that this happens before any consideration between decent candidates, looking at diversity as part of this, is even considered.

I am having trouble imagining somebody would be primarily promoted because they are female/non-white, I don't think we are at that stage.

I mean, one thing I have noticed going to job interviews and such here, is how in a lot of my daily life I meet "BAME" people as they are the ones doing the low-level jobs keeping the country running, but when I get to mid-level management of companies and above suddenly everyone is white.

[Josquius]

I am having trouble imagining somebody would be primarily promoted because they are female/non-white, I don't think we are at that stage.

I mean, one thing I have noticed going to job interviews and such here, is how in a lot of my daily life I meet "BAME" people as they are the ones doing the low-level jobs keeping the country running, but when I get to mid-level management of companies and above suddenly everyone is white.

They wouldn't be. That's my point.

[Tamas]

Ah.

[The Brain]

"Best" is such an abstract concept.
It's rare there's one absolute unquestionably best person. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit.

That's not my experience at all when it comes to promotions. But of course YMMV.

OK. I correct myself. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit, and some barely competent slick talker who has been at the company for a long time and is friends with the decision makers. They choose the latter guy.

This is even further from my experience.

[garbon]

"Best" is such an abstract concept.
It's rare there's one absolute unquestionably best person. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit.

That's not my experience at all when it comes to promotions. But of course YMMV.

OK. I correct myself. More commonly there's a bunch who for various reasons could be a good fit, and some barely competent slick talker who has been at the company for a long time and is friends with the decision makers. They choose the latter guy.

This is even further from my experience.

Great but it happens. My last boss went from only having managed two people to managing a dept of 30+ as he got along with key players.

[Tamas]

Yeah we are not talking about your promotions specifically Brainiac, but the world in general.

[The Brain]

No offense, but you people seem to have worked for crap organizations that don't take their mission seriously.

[Tamas]

No offense, but you people seem to have worked for crap organizations that don't take their mission seriously.

No offense but you seem to have had the combination of highly specialised knowledge and skills to ensure promotions, combined with a lack of social awareness to notice what's going around you in that context.

[The Brain]

No offense, but you people seem to have worked for crap organizations that don't take their mission seriously.

No offense but you seem to have had the combination of highly specialised knowledge and skills to ensure promotions, combined with a lack of social awareness to notice what's going around you in that context.

My own promotions are fairly uninteresting in this context (of course I get promoted, duh). I'm talking more about decisions I've been part of and what I've otherwise seen in the organizations I've worked for.

A more general point is that I think it's destructive to say "organizations always do this crap" (whatever "this" is). It is simply not true, there are organizations that take their job seriously. You risk  making people accept crap that they don't have to, because they think it's the same everywhere else. The most powerful tool that ordinary people have is their feet.

[Eddie Teach]

What is your fancy title then?