Ironic
It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife – Alanis Morissette
I find it curiously ironic that despite what may be espoused, software developers are often placed on one of the lowest rungs of the ladder of stature and importance (but alas, the poor test engineers often rank lowest) in many corpricracies whose revenue is dominated by software-centric products. Yet, it seems that many front-line software project managers, software “leads“, and software “rocketects” are terrified of joining the fray by designing and writing a little code here and there to lead by example and occasionally help out. In mediocre corpo cultures, it’s considered a step “backward” for titled ones to cut some code.
Fuggedaboud writing some code, a lot of the self-pseudo-elite dudes are afraid of even reading code for quality. Hence, to justify their existence, they focus on being meticulous process, schedule, and status-taking wonks – which of course unquestioningly requires greater skill, talent, and dedicated effort than designing/coding/testing/integrating revenue generating code.
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Bulldozer00's Blog 
It may just be the stodgy company you work for. At other companies I have worked at or have friends at; the best software people walk on proverbial water and have window offices and parking spots with their names on them. Here are some I know about Motorola, Lucent, IBM, 3Com, Panasonic, Microsoft and Cisco — of course those are mostly non-government contractors and thrive on innovation.
So cheer up, you just might be working for an old defense contractor that hasn’t figured out the “software is where its at” (and has been for more than a decade). I’ll estimate that software probably makes up more than 80% of the value provided to your customers at your company. Systems engineers aren’t as important as *the BM’s* think they are. 🙂 Hopefully they will figure that out before its too late.
BTW, it takes a long time for a dinosaur to die, since they keep eating while their tail is rotting off.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment “Dweeb”.
Although you prolly don’t believe it because of the “provocatively acidic” tone of this blawg, I am “cheered” up. I care to be employed; working on something interesting; and working with competent and helpful people. I’m “meh” about moving up the chain and/or making bazillions of $$$, but I’m not so idealistic or self-righteous that I wouldn’t consider those options if I see a “win-win” situation for all involved above AND below me.
Since the needs I care about have been, and are being, met where I work, I’ve been in “a good place” – despite the big changes that have been happening in my global environment over the past few years.
Occasionally (really quite often) you do come off as curmudgeon. Perhaps less poop and more flowers?
Nah. Then I’d prolly lose half of my readers. The fire and brimstone style (which you are familiar with, no?) is a “branding” strategy – and it seems to be working. I can’t disclose the growth in daily hit numbers, cuz, they are, of course, proprietary. lol.