When your e-mail works today or the application you depend upon responds quickly, don't forget to thank your company's system administrator – who probably played some part in ensuring you could remain productive and get your job done.
The last Friday in every July marks System Administrator Appreciation Day. In its 10th year, the annual day of recognition was created in 2000 by Systems Administrator Ted Kekatos, who was working as an IT manager for a small start-up at the time and thought it might be nice for him and his colleagues to get a bit of recognition. According to the holiday's Web site, sysadmins have been work hard in a mostly thankless job most days.
“Let's face it, System Administrators get no respect 364 days a year. This is the day that all fellow System Administrators across the globe, will be showered with expensive sports cars and large piles of cash in appreciation of their diligent work,” the Web site reads. “But seriously, we are asking for a nice token gift and some public acknowledgement. It's the least you could do.”
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IT professionals say acknowledgements could be small, maybe just a treat after a busy day. Dwayne Whitmore, senior systems engineer in the technology services group for Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, N.C., says he got into technology because he likes helping people. Just working in technology and healthcare fulfills two goals he set for himself, but it's always nice to hear from others at his organization when his efforts make others' work easier, he says.
“I find it gratifying to help people, some of the stuff we do is cookie cutter, but sometimes it can get more complicated and it's nice to get lunch or something special like cake when we successfully complete a project,” Whitmore says.
