Why do data network guys think they are so superior over voice network guys? 3

[DisasterMaster]

It has been my experience that data network guys think they are so much smarter than voice guys however; their eyes always glaze over when you start a nars/bars/cdp/routing conversation.
They can't figure it out and then say it's just stupid and over complicated. Then they walk away.

 

[fataldata]

They don't understand nars/bars/cdp/routing lingo but do you speak "data" or do your eyes glaze over when they talk acls/vlans/vrfs/port security etc..? I know both sides of the house and there are smart ppl on both sides. On the plus side, phone guys typically make a bit more than their comparable data guy. My network counterparts know that I understand their work fairly well do to my VoIP background.

 

[KCFLHRC]

I find the Data guys are very defensive and very quick to say " It's not a network issue" Then come to find out it is in fact a network issue. They are a different breed and for the most part have no troubleshooting skills and get quite glazed over when it doesn't work the first time.

 

[DisasterMaster]

I've worked both side for over 20 years. I know voice and data well. Data guys seem to be more sensitive. Not sure why. This is not always the case however; in my experience, they usually have the attitude that the data network is more important. Depending on the industry, I think both are of equal importance and I get aggravated with those who don't.

 

[bdmcdonald99]

You can teach a voice guy to do data work but you can't teach a data guy to do voice. Too complicated for them. Try to get a data guy to trace out a connection, probably won't happen.

It's a phone system, NOT a clock!

 

[km9v]

bdmcdonald99 (TechnicalUser)4 Feb 16 22:24
You can teach a voice guy to do data work but you can't teach a data guy to do voice. Too complicated for them. Try to get a data guy to trace out a connection, probably won't happen."

Not always true. I've been a data guy much longer than I've been a voice guy. (25 yrs. vs 8 yrs.) It's difficult but not impossible.

 

[emtsupport]

I'm not sure you can be a Voice Guy in this day and age without being a Data Guy!!

I'm just sayin!!!

Me, I'm a voice guy from 1974, a data guy from 1978 and a sip guy from 2007.

I always try to learn at least one new thing every day...

 

[KCFLHRC]

I'm just trying to make it to retirement with as little BS as possible. I have seen a lot in 37 years. As soon as VOIP was introduced this business got a whole lot more complicated.

 

[mikepbx1]

^ true, my sentiment too, lol!

http://pbxbook.com

 

[Crowtalks]

I'm a 40 year veteran of a Telco that is also an ISP and 16 years ago I decided that I needed to learn networking to stay ahead of the curve. Now I do more networking/programming than traditional telco and I can tell you that anyone that programs modern phone systems with IP terminals for a living is a network guy, as well as a voice guy.

I think the problems comes from perception. I think that the business owners feel that the chaps that take care of their computers have a much more complex job than the guys that take care of their phone systems, and I think the reason is that most business people have a decently firm grasp on how a phone works and at the same time, they are (for the most part) clueless how their computers or networks operate, thus (in their minds) elevating the role of network administrator almost to demi-god level, which perpetrates the myth. In my experience, most network guys are great at Microsoft and Linux and C++, but are clueless when it comes to the transport side of the network (switches, routers, LAN-WAN, etc).

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have become a locksmith" Albert Einstein

NCSS, NCTS, NCTE, CS1000E, Avaya IP Office, Mitel 3300 Basic & Advanced, 5000, SX200, NuPoint

 

[qcomms]

I’m a newbie in telecoms industry only 20yrs. These days I have to deal with so many different phone systems that I am becoming a master of none! I did my ccna 4 years ago and haven’t really used it since. I could do, at home, in my spare time - Yea right. I have a young family so my spare time is taken up with them.
I really get fed up with having to learn new tech all the time. I was a DMS bod before I took on the CS1k. Both as complicated and confusing as the other. I’m still learning, even though the cs1k is end of life.

A while ago I used to work for a large IT co supporting multiple sites on the same network. The contract was taken over and they dumped the telco dept in with the network guys. Just shortly after this merge I was in a meeting with the head of the Networks team, at one point he said “I don’t see why we can’t do your job! Its only 2 wires” says it all!

He then decided to sit in with us to see what all the fuss was about. It dint take him long to realise… after that, he left us to it and used to call us the dept of the black arts!

 

[Firebird Scrambler]

What a good thread this is becoming!. Going back to the original question for me is all about the people you meet and how you go about problem solving with them.

Data or voice makes little difference to me as it's the ability and interest as well as experience that matters. Bouncing a problem either to the PABX or data engineer is no different to what happens on trunk problems between the Telco company / Engineer and the switchboard PABX engineer in proving where the problem lies.

At least with a data engineer, you usually speak direct with them rather than via flow chart readers who really wind me up when you are told how to diagnose something that you have already done many times.

Co-operation is the key word for me and having the time to fully understand the problem in the first place, rather than being given only half the story and expected to sort out a fault that was probably caused by a physical change done by an invisible tech (PABX or DATA) in the first place!.


Firebird Scrambler
Nortel Meridian 1 / Succession and BCM / Norstar Programmer in the UK
Advance knowledge on BCM support

http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbromley

 

[kxboy]

Good discussion topic. Being an old phone guy, who now works mostly on the data side, my observation is that data people, in general, lack basic trouble shooting skills. Which, I beleive is because of their training. When I started in telecom, we had a trouble shoouting class. We were taught to "check the jack before climbing the pole". Even in some of the old training classes the instructor would intoduce a problem and we had to use our troubleshooting skills to find the cause.

Most, if not all training today is virtual, and does not include a section on trouble shooting. There is no instructor, no one that can share their experiences whith you. When was the last time you had your virtual training module on your PC say "One time, I had a problem with...." Never happens, people don't share there experiences like they used to.

Often I find people overlook the simple things and try to find the "big issue". Rather than checking to see if the network cable is bad, they assume the network switch needs a reboot. In old phone guy would check the cable first, but the data guy would reboot the switch first, then eventualy work back to the cable.