Turning the Corner: Upgrading Yourself from System Clerk to System Advocate
Thomas A. Limoncelli · 1997
Two (of the many) types of Administrators are identified: The System simply performs clerical tasks as she is told to do them (creating accounts, installing software) while the Advocate proactively works with users to develop and evolve the environment. Transitioning from Clerk to Advocate involves a change of attitude and making for advocacy. Ways to develop more spare time for pro-active work are also spotlighted. I also explain ways to avoid the administrator visibility paradox: nobody notices the system administrator on days when things are working well.