In the past couple of months, I have run into a few nay-sayers while attempting to build some test infrastructure. Many times, when I propose a change, the response I get is basically this:

We could probabaly do that, but it would be hard.

Well, duh. That is why we get paid. If it was easy, we wouldn’t have a job. If at any given time you know the solution to all the problems facing you at work, you can be automated out of a job.

Maybe the reluctance is a form of job security. But, I don’t think that holds, either. Why? Because there are always problems to solve. Solving a difficult problem frees you up to solve even more difficult problems. If you are always doing that, I don’t think you’ll have a hard time keeping your job.

Now, I’ll do the disclaimer-type thing. I am not saying we should do something just because it is hard to do. But, in life many things worth doing are difficult. And, if somebody doesn’t know how to do this difficult thing, they hire people like us.

So, be glad it is difficult.