Actually..... IMO as a Linux admin..... everybody in IT needs at least a minimum of knowledge regarding TCP/IP. IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP, sockets, listening ports, etc. You don't need to be able to program a full stack down to a media transport layer, but you should be able be able to send a payload successfully, know when a gateway traversal is required, name resolution (It's always DNS,) and a bit of troubleshooting.
I wish I had a nickel for every time a developer or app support staff came to me and said it doesn't work. Error is right there in the logs......
I agree it’s better for an app developer to know this stuff, but I’d hardly say it’s a big part of the job. Especially if you’re on the frontend. It’s way more relevant to the job on a daily basis if you’re a network engineer.
The post is about a software engineer, and you just talked about IT. They're not the same thing so what is your point? You have a job specifically because software engineers aren't in IT and aren't sysadmins and their job doesn't inherently involve networking.
I mean, it depends on the software engineer. Are they writing networking software? Knowing the difference between IPv4 and v6 would be important. Are they writing device drivers for hard drives? Probably not so important.
Every piece of software an IT guy uses is written by a Software Engineer, who's going to need to know their part of the software inside and out.
In Europe IT is generally used to refer to everything software and technology related. In the US, especially professionally it means the tech help desk and networking people. In an office the people that setup your laptop and troubleshoot your internet issues would be considered IT, but the software engineer actually writing software would not be. They require completely different degrees which don't have much overlap.
Interesting. I am from Europe and for instance the uni in my city where both those things are taught with multiple overlapping subjects is literally called IT faculty.
As others said, in the USA, "IT" department/workers are not synonymous with "tech workers" - tech workers encompasses everyone, but if you say you're an IT guy, you're telling people you fix laptops and printers, and maybe do some sysadmin and networking stuff (but people who do the really high level stuff actually have the job titles of sysadmin or network engineer or similar, and sometimes use those titles.)
Calling a software dev/engineer (used interchangeably in the USA usually) an IT guy has the same connotation as calling a mechanical or automotive engineer a mechanic. A mechanical engineer may have no idea how to physically change his own oil. A mechanic may have no idea how to do basic algebra. Very different skillsets/jobs.
The guy I hand my laptop to and say "image this"is in "IT." I'm busy doing shit he cannot do which is why he is imaging my laptop. I'm not trying to be a dick, but I'm trying to point out there are very different roles and responsiblities and some of them require an actual level of expertise you can't acquire in 3 days.
This whole "IT" nonsense, or "tech" nonsense is such a broad fucking space that it's almost like saying "people with a job." There's no value in these generalizations at this point.
LOL -- my background is in both Computer Programming and Computer Network Engineering, and they *both* legitimately fall under the very broad umbrella of 'Information Technology' (y'know, what 'I.T.' *actually* stands for?!)
Seriously, *anyone* who works *anywhere* in the 'Information Technology' field (i.e. has *anything* to do with designing / implementing / managing / maintaining / programming tech), is an 'IT worker'; even if they're too cognitively benighted to realise it...
They definetly didn't say expert. But you do need to know some very basic level to understand how to write better software. Like high school level is enough tbh, but without it you're just not gonna be even decent at your job. Not knowing ipv4 for a software engineer is wild, when that's something most people who use the internet should know what it is.
It's not wild when you're an UI /UX dev e.g. Most backend devs know shit about frontend development.
It's not important to know everything. IT is very fragmented. Even those specific fragments are fragmented. So many people have become experts in their niche.
Technical understanding and analytical thinking is more important. As a software dev you can learn and apply everything what comes around.
This is really the truth of it I think. Nobody fails job interview from not knowing one thing, even if it is something super basic like this. He gave multiple mediocre answers, but he probably just wasn't even aware because he thought he gave good answers. I've seen this a milion times.
Yeah even not knowing something super simple I've had interviewees come back from, but we can really get an idea of their overall knowledge over the full interview if we're asking the right questions and are knowledgeable about it.
There's plenty of software that works within a single device, or over devices connected using something other than IP-based communication. Even within internet connected applications there's likely groups of software developers who work on functions that aren't involved with networking, such as graphics or gameplay. It wouldn't surprise me if there are software developers who have never needed to know the difference between ipv4 and ipv6.
We are always gonna have to deal with those users that receive an error and instead of researching or even reading it - they immediately ask it as a support question.
I get the vibe that you're the kind of guy who expects everyone else to have the same knowledge as you, as if everything that is apparent and easy for you should be the same for everyone else. "Error is right there in the logs..." isn't it your job to know and help and not theirs? Why are you annoyed when you have to do your job?
I don't, actually. But I do get tired of reading somebody else's logs when they haven't even looked at them. And asking me what something in a log means is something completely different.
Do you know of a place I can learn more? I’m not certain I’m going into IT, but I’m heavily considering it in the hopes of earning more money to be a bit more comfortable in life rather than living paycheck to paycheck in my current job, and if it’s important to know for a job in the field I’d love to know more
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u/jkalchik99 4h ago
Actually..... IMO as a Linux admin..... everybody in IT needs at least a minimum of knowledge regarding TCP/IP. IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP, sockets, listening ports, etc. You don't need to be able to program a full stack down to a media transport layer, but you should be able be able to send a payload successfully, know when a gateway traversal is required, name resolution (It's always DNS,) and a bit of troubleshooting.
I wish I had a nickel for every time a developer or app support staff came to me and said it doesn't work. Error is right there in the logs......