I joined the Post Office in the early 1960s, on the telephone exchange installation side. I was a technician, just one place up from a labourer, but I had great potential because I had good colour vision! To build telephone exchanges, you had to be able to recognise the colours of the wires....
Although the technology was basically straightforward (thanks to Mr. Strowger), switching systems (in any technology) are potentially complex when you have to take the time element into account, and I found sufficient interest to keep me going, and only occasionally to look for alternative employement! However, my somewhat lackadaisical approach landed me in hot water from time to time!
This was a fairly dull job, technically, until they began to modernise the exchanges and go electronic, but I gradually got promoted through the technical grades until I eventually made the managerial grade. I worked for a number of years on "reed matrix" electronic exchanges, until the introduction of computerisation and the "System X" range of exchanges,
by which time I had become interested in computers and their use as a telephony tool. I designed some computer based test equipment, and also used my own micros as test tools. I was studying with the OU at the time, and proposed a computer project which was accepted, although I decided against continuing with it.In the early 1980s I joined one of BT's specialist business units as a systems engineer/programmer (having by now learnt various computer languages and systems), implementing computer integrated telephony (before the terms CTI/CIT/CAT/CSTA, etc. had been thought of) using DEC VAX minis and Mitel switches; we then went on to Datapoint switches, and finally Summa Four digital systems. I received further promotion and I was employed managing a sytems and software development group doing this until I retired (early!) at the end of 1994.
I have fairly strong opinions about BT and its predecessors, having worked for them for such a long time. When I started, I was a civil servant in an overmanned and underfunded industry; when I finished, it seemed I was an uncivil servant in an undermanned and underfunded industry! Some things never change...
All large organisations seem to have a perceived problem with middle management; top managers set policy which the rest have to adhere to, but there always seem to be people in the middle who make it difficult for the rest to adhere to policy without producing catastrophe! I always felt this to be the case in obtaining funding for any good idea.... I guess almost everyone feels this, in any organisation!
Copyright © 1996 Roger Yeates
Most recent revision 30 October 1996