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Lost Brown belt status

Anthony_Richards
New Contributor I
538 Views

I retired from full time work last April. Message from Intel recently:
"Sorry. Your Brown Belt status has expired. Based on your activity in the last 12 months, you are now a Green Belt. "

Thanks, Intel! After slowly working my way up the ladders on the board, that was a snake's head I didn't see coming!

How long before I am declared completely defunct?

Here in the UK, Green belt status means I cannot build a home on me.

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8 Replies
Paul_Curtis
Valued Contributor I
538 Views

Yeah, moi aussi.  Clearly Intel has no respect for experience built up over decades (did Steve L. actually "retire", or was he forced out because he'd been around too long and knew too much?).  I mean, what have you done for us lately?  Perhaps Intel should try a policy where the architects of their forum are required to have, say, more than six months' experience.

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mecej4
Honored Contributor III
538 Views

Tony and Paul:

I think that what you have experienced are the results of simple-minded software being allowed to compute some kind of metric and send E-mail based on the result. I have also been in a similar situation: I found myself unable to log in to post in these forums, and it took them many days to fix the problem. As a work-around, I created an alternative login account. About a year later, I was startled by receiving two E-mails from Intel on the same day, one saying in effect that I was non-grata, and the other thanking me for my contributions.

I think that Intel should insert some level of human supervision into the process, especially when there is a chance of belittling someone by mistake. When I see "Paul Curtis", I immediately think "Windows API expert", no matter what his current points scores are. 

I suggest that you alert the Black/Red/Brown/Green Belt program manager (link at the bottom of https://software.intel.com/en-us/blackbelt/ ) about these issues. When I had occasion to do the same, I found the response professional and prompt.

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Anthony_Richards
New Contributor I
538 Views

Hi, Paul, So the same happened to you too?
Your remarks about the forum developers touched a nerve, as after one previous 'upgrade' of the forum software that forced me to become a new user, I lost all my belt points and I have never been able to retrieved them, or more accurately, never had them returned to me by the powers-that-be.

Cheers.

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Kevin_D_Intel
Employee
539 Views

The belt status is tied to a points accumulation within a 12-month window after earning the qualification. The point levels required to maintain the qualification are noted in the FAQ under the page mecej4 cited. It does appear to be automated w/o human oversight and I too have experienced this in the past. I agree with mecej4's recommendation that for situation it is best to contact the program manager directly.

If there's something more I can to do to escalate this then please let me know and I'll be happy to.

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Anthony_Richards
New Contributor I
539 Views

Thanks for a response, Kevin.

Might I suggest creation of an 'Emeritus' status for contributors such as Paul Curtis, a status that remains inviolable so long as the person is alive and capable of occasional operation of a keyboard, a la Stephen Hawking??

(I did read once that 'Emeritus' is derived from the Latin 'Ex, E' meaning 'Out' and 'Meritus' meaning 'well deserved', a rather less flattering interpretation of the title. Could this be the Intel interpretation?)

 

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Kevin_D_Intel
Employee
539 Views

That certainly could be proposed/discussed with the program’s manager. I do not really know why the program is structured the way it is, the program manager can better speak to that. I know there are Status (points earned in a 12-month period) and Total points (points earned over a lifetime) and the belt status is scored against the Status points only. If scored against the Total then belt statuses would remain intact.

You should never have lost points in the past and you should raise that with the program manager too.

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Anthony_Richards
New Contributor I
539 Views

Thanks again, Kevin.

At the time I did briefly pursue my lost points but succumbed to boredom awaiting a reply, after all they were not money in the bank.

I would gladly contact the mythical (as far as I am concerned) 'Program Manager' if you would be so kind as to provide his/her contact details.
I hope Intel regard does not regard him/her as important as the Russian's held their 'Chief Designer', or MI6 holds its 'M' and refuse to give details!
 

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Anthony_Richards
New Contributor I
539 Views

I have contacted a 'program manager' who has promptly replied (many thanks) and who has promised to take this problem seriously in hand. More news when I get it.

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