Coworkers who make fun of training(or the people that ask for it)?

techie2018

Ok I work with some guys who make fun of folks who request training. The call them stupid, etc. And make jokes about them, say training is for the weak, etc. They say all the "training" is on the internet for free. They say just google or read the f*cking manual.

What are your thoughts on the situation? Personally I don't agree. Training, whether it's been on the job, are training from vendors such as Redhat, AWS, Cisco, etc has been a big part of my growth and success in the field. I feel training is very important. How do you guys feel about it?

JDMurray

Do these people who make fun of others asking for training actually do any training on those free materials themselves? If not, it's likely they are just Luz3rs who are afraid to see others succeed because they are too lazy to try succeeding for themselves. They gotta shame everyone around themselves down to their low level or their already-damaged self-esteem will get squashed even flatter. I say squash 'em! 

shochan

Continuing education is...sure, geeky, nerdy...whatever...but if you are in IT and don't stay on top of learning new things, well, one day when you feel SO squishy at your job, you are LET GO!  no reason, no F's given, just bye Felicia!  what do you say to yourself, OH, dang, I had access to free videos, books, etc and I didn't take advantage of that while working at my cush job (at the time)...so, ignore the haters, think for yourself... 

E Double U

I poke fun at my colleagues about many things, but continuous education is not one of them. I actually bother my teammates for not taking advantage of the training budget and I will actually go as far as to make fun of my colleagues that fail exams (yep, I'm that guy). 

Fulcrum45

Yeah, like the others have said I would brush it off. I wonder if they see training as merely a chance to get out of work. Let them RTFM or use their free online materials (some of them are really good though). But to ignore training opportunities is silly and shortsighted. 

paul78

Calling someone stupid for trying to better themselves is simply mean-spirit and toxic. Sorry to hear that you are working with people with such low EQ.

I personally don't enjoy formal training. I find online training to be too tedious and un-stimulating. And I'm not patient enough to sit through instructor taught training. But that's just the way that my brain is wired. The choice of formal training really just depends on how someone learns.

Another big part is that any formal training or conferences comes out of my own pocket. So I tend to stick to free stuff.

If you are dealing with coworkers that don't want to ask for training - that could be a plus for you if you can get a bigger allocation of the training budget. Go leave them in the dust.

cisco_trooper

Haha, dude don't ever feel bad about improving yourself. Everyone learns differently. Some guys like to read books, some like to build labs, and some like class-led training. Who cares? Do what works best for you, and if they are so short-sighted to dis you because your learning style is different than theirs that's on them. Their internal demons aren't your business and your success isn't theirs.

DFTK13

Lol, those kinds of people are a dime a dozen. Screw them, you have to do what’s best for you to keep your skills sharp. Yes there are free manuals and “training” on the internet but honestly I’ve found that they’re unorganized or seriously lacking. Even some cheap $10 courses on udemy are leaps and bounds ahead of the free training. I do not mind paying for quality content, because I feel I get the better return on investment than spending hours and hours trying to piece together concepts of a new technology or methodology and still be lacking. Anyways really, to each to their own. But people really need to learn to respect one another as they grow. 

TechGromit

techie2018 said:

Ok I work with some guys who make fun of folks who request training. The call them stupid, etc. And make jokes about them, say training is for the weak, etc. They say all the "training" is on the internet for free. They say just google or read the f*cking manual.

Technically they would be correct, most information is freely available on the internet, just unorganized.  Even just reading the manual may assume you have a certain level of technical knowledge and not going into detail on some of the topics.  So can you train yourself for free?  Absolutely, but I doubt those that make fun of others asking for training actually practice what they preach. Personally I rather purchase a book on the topic for 40 or 50 bucks that organizes what I want to learn in an easy to follow format that doesn't assume you already know about this or that, then google everything.  That being said, you can easily drop 2k on an A+ certification course that spoon feeds you something you can get from reading a $40 book. I guess it really depends on how motivated you are to learn.         

chrisone

Education is training, whether its from a manual, certification book, CBT, lab, on-site or online course. 

Seems like they are jealous specifically "YOU" are asking for any form of training. Its probably a personal thing they have against you. They see you unworthy as the new guy/rookie who shouldn't just come in and demand resources be spent on him (training is for the seniors "mentality") or they just can't stand the fact they can't get training because they haven't asked for training themselves, because they were scared or the company resources were tight at some point in time. 

I would keep a distance from such people, continue to train and improve my status, surpass them in knowledge, then leave. I would not work with a team of jealous flunkies who cannot dream big and try to place either own limitations on others. 

Trust me, goal oriented achievers intimidate those who are used to blaming others for their short comings. 

 Stay Discipline and motivated. 

cisco_trooper

@chrisone Yo, Pentester Academy has certs now? Man I canceled my subscription a while back because they weren't putting out any new content. You happy with the cert content? Do you do penetration testing at all?

PC509

"Can I get some training on this software so I understand it better so I'm not calling you all the time?"

I enjoy giving training. It helps out the users and it really helps me build my skills in the subject matter (the old saying - If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.), working with people, and teaching others. It's a great thing and I feel it really helps to build me up as a person and a good employee. 

I doubt these people are good mentors to others in their own department, too. I really can't stand people like that. I'm willing to help out and teach anyone that wants it. Yes, there are free resources out there, and I do create some resources for others to use (personal website, internal knowledge base, etc.), but some like the hands on teaching. 

I don't see any negatives about it, other than taking time away from other duties. If you have the time, it's a great thing to do. 

techie2018

Oh trust me I would never let these guys dissuade me from getting training. You guys are correct in saying they are just jealous haters. That's the one thing they do very well is hate and talk crap about other people.

They are also the type that talk crap about folks with certifications. They claim the folks you see with certifications plastered all over their desk or in their email signature are sure sign that person don't know anything. They say people that actually know stuff don't bother getting certs.

PC509

The sound like very negative people. Most people in the industry would never dissuade someone from learning more via training or earning a certification. It's counter productive to what we want to do. Sounds like they have a superiority complex. Their negativity probably doesn't stop there. 

I like working with people that are positive, that are happy that you are furthering your education, learning more, doing more. 

Jon_Cisco

It seems to me like they don't even understand the premise of training. Training helps build skills you will use in the future.

When you are fixing a problem in the moment you read documentation or google for info. This is a valuable skill but it is not going to expose you to new things your not currently working with.

cyberguypr

I've been checking this thread for a few days and every time I type a response that illustrates the stupidity of your colleges, I end up deleting it because I don't want to get banned. 

SteveLavoie

Well, there are many type of training.. some self-directed like Pluralsight and books and in-person training. Both serve a purpose. In-person training is either a hit or miss depending on the instructor, however the networking you can do in those training session is a great plus. Also, in-person training is a reason to take a week off to study a subject without too much work distraction.

Making fun of colleage wanting training (in whatever form) is disgusting.

blargoe

I can kind of see where people would scoff at studying for the purpose of getting a cert, with all the paper tigers out there and many of the tests seeming like they were written by the marketing department.  

But making fun of people for wanting actual training and professional development?  These will be the people who will be left behind, pay them no attention.

tutorial28

I learn a lots of things here.  It is an amazing post , thanks for help me.

Info_Sec_Wannabe

In my case, we are being asked by a certain person at work to take a particular certification exam related to cloud. Not because she is concerned with our professional growth, but it is her means of mocking us that we don't know stuff related to the subject (when she herself know nothing either).