I'm in the IT biz, and though I'm not the best programmer, I'm not the cream of the crop, I don't make any headlines... in fact, I barely pass for adequate. But, I'm great at observing trends and personalities in the business.
Information Technology draws an odd group of folks - not just the Professor Frinks and Nick Burns's of the crowd, but a lot of other personality types and skills you wouldn't necessarily expect if you haven't already shared an office with these people. Whether these folks have responded to your work ticket, answered your phone-in tech help questions in a nasally, condescending tone, removed the spyware from your work PC after months of internet shopping and games, or work directly with you on a daily basis, see if you can spot the personality types in the following list.
1. The Programmer
The Programmer is the quintessential computer geek. Good at science, great at math, typically born outside the states (sorry U.S., it's sadly true), socially challenged, all-around the guy you'd expect to be working on robots for NASA in his/her spare time. The programmer has been programming from an early age, and generally works with stuff that doesn't fit well into dinner party conversations. There's not a lot of layman's translations for what they do - it's dry, boring, complex programming.
Work wise, they punch in, punch out, get paid well, and need challenges. If you ask a programmer a question, typically you get a response that's much longer and more intense than you ever desired. Diversion tactics become helpful when getting essential information from a programmer, like when they've given you what you need, but they insist on explaining the beauty of the kernel they've extended for processing threads securely in the latest release of something you never knew existed (or cared).
In IT terms, they work with anything from C and Java to Oracle and IBM mainframe languages. They're the guys who usually fit the sentence, "God forbid, if _________ ever gets hit by a bus, we're all screwed."
2. The Tinkerer
The Tinkerer is maybe not the most appropriate name, since it may imply the person isn't very skilled. Tinkerer's are very skilled, just like Programmers, but the Tinkerer just has a shorter attention span and greater need to play with more stuff. Tinkerers love the "Bleeding edge" because they love new stuff. IT is constantly evolving, and they enjoy staying abreast, if not one step ahead, of all the latest and greatest.
On the plus side, some of the coolest stuff comes from Tinkerers - their creativity and exposure to really powerful technologies results in a lot of great products that make money for companies and change the Internet experience in general. On the down side, once they're done with one project (if they're ever complete a project), don't ask the Tinkerer any questions about their new creation, because they're too busy with their latest interest.
Tinkerers usually start in the base programming languages, and usually branch out to the different flavors of J2EE frameworks and Web App platforms. They're necessary for the IT workforce and a mixed blessing to work with. They generally have erratic personalities, but they do good work... usually.
3. The Artist
The Internet and Flash opened a whole new avenue for Artists. You got to an art college for 3 years, buy a Macintosh, and find you can pretty much work for any major company that has a website. Artists can be straight out of an Art College, or just regular IT workers that have an incredible flair for Photoshop and spend time learning Flash. They eventually find their niche designing and/or creating the screens that users see - on websites, ads, applications, or anything else that companies put onto a screen.
Artists can be skilled in programming, but their main interest and talents are in asthetics. They usually like Macintosh, almost always prefer Firefox (because IE is Satan, according to them), and invariably have an iPod somewhere nearby. Artists are most likely to have unusually long / colorful / spikey hair, wear sandals, and generally you can point them out in a crowd because they look like extras from an MTV Real World spinoff.
In the IT world, they're jobs can be anything from designers to web developers, and anything they has an interface. They may take forever to finetune they're work for you, but their work is usually worth it. For more examples of their work, ask for their gallery website. Trust me, they have one. They always do.
4. The Consultant
80% business, 20% technology, The Consultant is a smooth operator. If you're not convinced, just ask them. The Consultant sells him/herself because they need to in their line of work, and/or because they really enjoy doing it. They're the folks who's job it is to set you straight about the right technology solutions to use, and why you need to use it. They enjoy meetings, and shine best when you give them the floor. Consultants have experience in IT, enough to know what they're talking about, but it's their kajones that measures their worth.
Consultants aren't just found in consulting jobs - they're anywhere that egos live. If they're not in a consulting or managing role, they're actively working their way to one. Usally, IT workers turn into Consultants after working in other roles first. If not, you better watch them closely.
Consultants are usually a good knowledge resource for projects and know their stuff. Unfortunately, they don't shut up about it until you give in to their control. Chances are, the Consultant will be in another company before the end of the year.
5. The Machine
It takes a certain type of personality to speak well with Routers, Mainframes, Firewalls and Servers. The Machine does this sort of work all day long, and usually has accomplished more work before lunch than most people do all day. The Machine is a rock of dependability (usually) among the often flakey IT masses. These guys/gals are admins, DBAs, networking folks, and other technically specific roles that require specific knowledge, patience, and a lot of coffee.
The Machine isn't always the most flowery conversationalist when it comes to work, generally because the Machine deals with idiots quite often. Password resets, DNS requests, page updates, profile edits, ACLs - these are all familiar territory of the Machine. You'll curse them when they don't do their job, and praise them when they do.
Simply put, most companies wouldn't function without good supply of this type of IT worker. Their work is often monotonous but fast-paced and usually specialized. They're not the cheeriest people in the office, but they're the best people to be friends with when you need something done.
And usually they make really good drinkers.
6. The Natural (or The Transplant)
IT has become such a large field that it's attracted a lot of people who may have otherwise ended up in other fields... had it not been for their natural comprehension of computers. Faced with a smaller, lower-paying industry versus the larger, higher-paying IT industry, The Natural for some reason ended up in IT (hence, you can also call this type "The Transplant").
While Computers came naturally to all talented IT workers, the Natural passively works off an inherent ability to understand programming, web design and / or databases, and personally does little or nothing to expand on these skills because it's not their primary interest. While this type of IT worker may not have graduated with a computer degree, their personality strengths somehow make The Natural excellent at their job, be it an OCD-like need for structure or their knack for recognizing patterns.
Naturals won't pioneer any great new technologies, but if they stick around in IT and find a role that fits their talents, Naturals can become key people that own critical processes others depend on. Naturals are also most likely to play in a band, refurbish old cars, work another job, and move to Project Management.
7. The Veteran
The Veteran has been there, done that, and has the stomach to show for it (because typically, their diets are atrocious). Veterans are often very skilled at what they do because they've been doing it for a good number of years, and for whatever reason they continue to do it today. Why? Often the reasons range from a pension to a bad marriage, cozy with a few higher-ups, and/or purely out of spite.
Whatever the reasons, the Veteran is sticking it out, is fixed in their ways, and spends a good portion of the day either talking to co-workers, sleeping, or hiding in conference rooms. Again, been their, done that - who am I trying to impress?
The Veteran isn't a statement of tenure, but the mindset that prevails when you survive more than 10 rollercoaster years in IT. After time, IT workers who've been around start to recognize patterns in all the new industry developments, and grow tired of them. They realize work won't change and neither will management, so why not relax and enjoy the ride that is the IT industry.
When they're awake, they're reliable and usually good for bumming cigarettes off of if that's your thing.
8. The Inept
IT's hiring, but it don't always attract the right crowds. The Inept knows 15 buzzwords, and includes them all multiple times on their resume. It's not necessarily a fault of the person that they're not good at IT stuff, it's just not their forte. They usually relied on The Natural or The Programmer in college for help, but never really questioned if computers were the right industry to work in.
OK, this sounds like a bash, but Inepts are just not good at what they're currently doing. Generally at work, they're shown one repeatable process, and do it often. But for whatever reasons, they're not what their resume says they are.
Generally, there's two paths for The Inept: another career, or management. Just because a person doesn't make a good admin or developer doesn't mean they can't be a good manager. Sometimes it does, but not always.
I don't seriously think that all people in IT have to fall into one of these categories, but I personally know lots of folks that can be summed up by a balance of two or three.
Of course the go-to joke here is "why did you save your own type for last?"
Because I'm humble. Humble, and incredibly inept. But, I do know some buzzwords!
