coconurtaler Posted September 23, 2016 Posted September 23, 2016 Hi, I have worked in IT for many years, firstly on those big old lovely mainframe things, and for the last 9 years as an ICT Technician in a school. I have no desire to be a Network Manager but now there is a Data Manager vacancy at my school. I'm interested but it all looks a bit daunting so far. Lots to get my head around. So what is the general opinion? "Don't touch it with a barge pole" or "it's great, go for it"? Thanks.
Jennie Posted September 26, 2016 Posted September 26, 2016 I'd say id really depends what floats your boat! Data Manager role is very different to IT, as it's more about (in my experience), numbers, calculations and spreadsheets than IT per se. It can be quite demanding (everyone wants information yesterday) with lots of deadlines and is quite structured in that sense, but if you are organised and disciplined by nature, it's interesting!
Corvidae Posted September 27, 2016 Author Posted September 27, 2016 I started as an electronics technician, many, many moons ago and have had just about every role in IT there is to have including network manager, right now I'm a data manager. I find that the ICT Technicians I work with don't always like having someone who asks for exactly what is needed, but other than that I enjoy being a data manger. You need to like Excel and SIMS or whatever other MIS your school uses -- they will be your new best friends -- and you'll need to be good with numbers and have some common sense, but other than that it's fairly easy. If you also get to do timetabling that's a bonus, it's like a big logic puzzle. If you're looking for something that will challenge you in new ways then go for it.
jrma91 Posted September 27, 2016 Posted September 27, 2016 Main piece of advice I would give, is make sure that you have a large supply of pain killers! Because you will spend lots of time banging your head against a brick wall, especially if your Senior Management don't listen to what you say needs to be done! Other than that, if you like manipulating numbers then it's a great job!!
WayTooTricky Posted September 28, 2016 Posted September 28, 2016 I was going to post you a picture of my desk draws. Top draw Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Migraine tablets. 2nd draw - mostly chocolate. Me - a bit stressy but happy to have puzzles to solve and always new things to find out about.
Ecclesbury Posted September 28, 2016 Posted September 28, 2016 The thing that has always struck me about data managers is that no 2 DMs have exactly the same role. In fact usually the differences are massive. I think this is because the role often becomes a magnet for work which is difficult to pigeon hole. It also depends on the particular make up of the school. If you have some aptitude for technical stuff and problem solving it's usually very easy to get involved in lots of interesting stuff (if you want to!) Equally it's easy to get completely overwhelmed in work. So to answer your question (what is it like to be a data manager) it depends on which data manager!
coconurtaler Posted September 28, 2016 Posted September 28, 2016 Thanks for all your replies. I'm going to get to help out for a little while to see if it's what I want to do. Thanks.
tombry Posted September 28, 2016 Posted September 28, 2016 I think it's amusing, as I read every reply I found myself agreeing with just about all of it. I don't do pain pills, but will enjoy a beer (not at work of course). Definitely haven't met someone that does exactly what I do - it's hard when looking at jobs, as you never know what other parts are actually in that role. But I've had a few roles, and still have some, that are fantastic fun, and really, because of those, I'm able to enjoy the job more than if I was just shut in to my office. Trying it out sounds like a good idea - definitely learn what you should be doing in order to do your job (the non-technical stuff, like reading up on the P8 measures, performance tables, assessments, etc), it will help you do the job better if you know ahead of time what things should look like
coconurtaler Posted October 6, 2016 Posted October 6, 2016 Well I can definitely see why the need for pain killers.
Corvidae Posted October 7, 2016 Author Posted October 7, 2016 It can be a job with many concurrent responsibilities and others are not always aware of that or respectful of it. I keep a black list of problem colleagues. No one wants to get on my list, some have even offered tribute to get off of it, all gratefully accepted of course... I am a forgiving soul... most of the time. It's not real, I don't actually have a list tacked to my wall, but it does tend to help add a little humor and perspective when someone makes your job more difficult than it needs to be, especially when you find it necessary to impress upon them that it's not a good thing to do that. It certainly helps to keep me sane... at least I think it does.
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