Lament from the outside of the IT department

I used to be on the inside.  I used to be the guy they went to to get something done.  Then I went and actually learned some things about computers other than what I picked up just by playing around with them which led me to the conclusion that playing around with technology is the best way to learn anything about it. I'm pretty fearless when it comes to playing around with technology because I know that it's pretty hard to mess anything up, provided you don't actually know too much.  In fact, I think there's an inverse relationship between how much you know and how much you can mess a computer up by playing around.  Actually, it's probably more of an exponential function because it takes a while before the damage really starts adding up, but that's beside my point.


I used to be on the inside, but then I was on the outside with very good connections to the inside, which was still a good position to be in.  I got what I wanted most of the time because I could be trusted to know what to do and actually kept a lot of lower level problems from making it to the tech department.  I have been cut-off for a couple of years now, and I feel like Dennis the Peasant from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  But I don't think the argument that "supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses" is going to get me back inside.


Three years ago I was trained as a CFF teacher (Classrooms for the Future), which gave me some benefits such as a projector and a laptop that I could put software on and take home and use to prepare lessons.  For two years, things were great.  I found a program I thought would be interesting and I tried it out.  If I didn't like it, I removed it and went on with my life.  If my printer needed new drivers or I got a new piece of hardware, I installed the drivers and went about with my business.  


This past year, all administrative rights were revoked from my account (along with everyone else, it wasn't just me).  While there was a very efficient tech help request protocol for getting things installed, it was still an irritation.  The worst part was that all laptops had been re-imaged over the summer, so every little program had to be reinstalled.  Still, the tech department was very responsive; I just needed to get organized so they wouldn't have to make multiple trips.


This summer it got worse yet.  I am going away and needed a printer to go with my laptop.  Even though my home printer drivers survived the re-imaging and the printer somehow remains as an option for my laptop, it is way too big to bring with me.  I got a cheap little printer (it might even be cheaper to buy new when the ink runs out rather than buying new ink).  I plugged it in to see if Windows 7 had the drivers;  it didn't AND I do not have administrative power to install them.  I checked with my tech department to see when I could bring it in to get someone to install them for me (Mommy, can you tie my shoes for me?) and did not get a happy reply.  The tech said, "we do not support personal software or hardware. We can only install what has been purchased or otherwise tested by the tech department."  How exactly am I supposed to work on a machine at home where there is no expectation of going into school in the summer and not be able to print!  They're printer drivers, not exactly risky software.  I've put up with all of the changes because I can understand where the head tech is coming from, but this is too much.


At this point, I think I'm going to have to buy a (relatively) cheap laptop that I can put drivers on.  I'm not happy about it.  I think it's ridiculous.  I miss being on the inside.  It's not so much the power I miss, but the ability.