Grumpy Old Men of IT (GROMIT)

I’m wondering whether I am being subversively recruited into a secret club that is solely for people who have been around IT for more than 20 years and are entering the Grumpy Old Men phase.

No one has explicitly mentioned the secret club, it’s a secret club after all. It’s just a feeling I have.

I keep finding myself in conversations where I am engaged by someone of a similar age for the sole purpose of reminiscing about the good old days of IT and how these new kids really haven’t a clue. 

Without even thinking about it I find myself sucked into telling stories of these supposed “good old days” and working myself into a state of grumpiness. I’ve started to call these people and the secret society “GROMIT” (Grumpy Old Men of IT).

I wonder whether there is a minimum age for the secret club at 40 and that I am being groomed for the time when I pass this milestone in a few months time.

The exchanges between myself and the members of GROMIT seem to go nearly always go a bit like this:

GROMIT: “Why can’t the operations team keep this equipment updated with all of the patches.” (or some other similar issue)

Me: “We do seem to be making hard work of it.” (I’m being lured in)

GROMIT: “It never used to be this difficult. When we used to do it we just got on with it and sorted it out. I knew the configuration of everyone of the systems I looked after and they were always up-to-date.” (Spot the trap)

Me: “Yes, I think we learnt some hard lessons that they don’t seem to learn these days.” (I’ve now completely taken the bate)

GROMIT: “Do you remember working in the old building.”

Me: (Getting reeled in now) “Oh yes. Do you remember the old Mainframe Sysprogs who sat in the back corner. There was no way you would mess with their system unless you were sure about what you were doing. You checked things and double checked them. There just doesn’t seem to be the rigor these days.”

And of we go to grumpy land.

Am I just getting old and grumpy? Are you a fellow grumpy?

Do you ask questions like:

• Why does it take so many people these days?
• Why can’t these kids get it right the first time around?
• Where are all of the old disciplines?
• Why are we still having to learn these lessons?
• Why do none of these kids understand the whole system anymore?

Does GROMIT exist? If it doesn’t, should it?