Public Sector Speed
I have now been working in the public sector for close to four years. As is the stereotype, technology does not exactly move quickly. Within the last month we have finally started to move to the .NET 2.0 framework. Our legacy Cold Fusion applications are still running on Cold Fusion 4.5. Our movement to .NET 2.0 has been largely due to a “It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission” philosophy.
My experience has been that if you are willing to put forth the effort to push keeping up with technology, it can be done. As we push to get current we have even implementing AJAX where possible and appropriate. Even with hurdles such as 508 compliance and an impending possibility of disabled Javascript on government owned desktops, the advantages are worth the headaches involved. The key is the ability to prove the advantages of each progression and show the cost benefits involved. I would estimate that Visual Studio 2005 alone increases productivity by at least 5% due to it’s improved intellisense.
Working in the public sector can be frustrating, but the job is what you make of it. Just because there is a stereotype of being unproductive, does not mean it is unilaterally true. If the job is important to you, make it work. It’s an uphill battle, but victory is possible.
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