Jack of All Trades - Master of None

I am scheduled to have shoulder surgery in a couple of weeks – not something I’m looking forward to. While I’d like to have you believe the necessity for this procedure has something to do with my incredible basketball dunking abilities, the truth is far less impressive. As the date of surgery approaches, I considered what lead up to this, and who has been involved along the way. I first saw my family doctor about the problem. He recognized that I needed to see someone else and referred me to a rheumatologist. My rheumatologist found the underlying issue, but the surgery was still necessary. As such, he referred me to a surgeon who will perform the procedure.

Most of us recognize that this is a typical process in the medical field. While our family doctors take care of our general health concerns, they refer us to specialists when it is necessary. Thank goodness for that too. I think my family doctor is great, but I really don’t want him performing surgery on me. I have a close friend who is a dentist, but I wouldn’t want him to be my optometrist. We all recognize that when it comes to our health, no single doctor can be a specialist in everything. The field is far too complicated, and too much is at stake to risk it to someone who is not qualified.

Consider what we expect of our school IT staff members though. Often, these individuals are like our family doctors. They have a great deal of general knowledge. They can diagnose most problems and can administer treatment. But what happens when the complexity of the issue exceeds their level of expertise? They don’t have the luxury of referring their patients to a specialist. They are expected to resolve the problem. In order for an IT staff to be able to successfully manage an IT environment, the team would have to be made up of experts in servers, switches, routers, wireless access points, one or more operating systems, security camera systems, student information systems, voice over IP phone systems, and much more. Indeed, the world of technology changes so rapidly, it is nearly impossible for these folks to stay on top of current technology trends, procedures, and innovations. To complicate matters, schools are introducing mobile devices (iPads, Kindles, Nooks, etc.) as quickly as manufactures release the latest models. Without having any formal training or professional help, IT staff members are expected to deploy, manage, and support these new devices.

 

When it comes to our personal health, we expect our health care providers to be trained, certified experts in their field of study. We hold the same expectations of our educators. The fact is, supporting the complexities of technology these days also requires trained, certified experts. If your IT staff is overwhelmed, take a moment to consider what is being asked of them. Are they being asked to be the jacks of all trades, master of none?