June 26, 2008 at 10:01 am
It sure is fun being a girl in IT. It is a riot when people ask me what I do and I tell them I'm a systems analyst. I can see the wheels start to turn in their minds and inevitably they then say , "so you are a computer person." (I don't get "the IT guy" so much!). I say yes, but I see the wheels turn more and I just know they are going to ask why their computer doesn't stay connected to the internet or something like that, so now, usually before they ask that, I intervene and say, "But I'm software, not hardware." That usually stymies the whole conversation!
So, all that being said, I think you have a point. Saturday Night Live used to do a sketch (the computer guy or something like that), that has carried this all to an extreme. For some reason, people don't see that as a professional occupation as a support/service function.
June 26, 2008 at 10:07 am
Geez. Shouldn't we be secure enough in what we know/do to accept a generalization? I mean, really, when someone asks me what I do -- instead of telling them the details of my job, I tell them, "I work on computers". Better than just saying I'm a manager, easier than explaining what software development is, and more efficient than explaining all of this. I haven't opened a computer box in years, but it is so much easier than losing people, watching their eyes glaze over as I tell them what I do.
What they want is an easy way to understand how they can look at you or categorize you in their world (not yours), in their understanding of you. To paraphrase Jack, "They don't want the truth; they can't handle the truth."
In some ways, I believe that it might be a compliment to be called the IT Guy. Why? Because usually they are not saying it in a negative way, they are saying "He solves problems."
June 26, 2008 at 10:25 am
I'd rather be an "IT Guy" than an "Unemployed Guy" so it doesn't matter what I'm called just as long as I'm getting a paycheck! 😛
June 26, 2008 at 10:29 am
I don't really have anything against the "IT" monicker per se, and I'd really hate to see us go the way of some other groups... For example, we used to call ourselves "Negro", but then that became offensive, so we starting using "Black", then later "Afro-American", then "People of Color", and now what are we up to..."African American"?. The reason we kept changing it was that we didn't like the lack of respect coming from the people who used it. "Those damn ___'s". What we've never (collectively) realized is that people who don't respect or understand us won't miraculously start repsecting and understanding us just becase we change our name.
Here's what I know (they know) about 'us damn IT's': ('they' being the 'they' who we don't like being called IT's from)
1) We make too much money for our age - more than our parents, more than people who spent their whole careers 'earning' their way to the top / 'earning' their money.
2) We're not REALLY necessary, are we? - wasn't this whole technology thing started up by some pimple-faced spoiled college kid with rich parents anyway? we just creat this who mess of confusing technology that nobody can understand, and society would be just as well off without it.
3) Whatever we do is magic. Whatever magic is, it can't be THAT hard, if a guy in jeans and dirty t-shirt can do it.
4) Whatever breaks, it's our fault, since we know everything about computers.
5) What we do is 'easy' for us. We don't work hard as 'they' do.
If any of that is true for you, then whatever we insist they call us (or don't call us), if they still feel that way, then what's new is old - they still won't respect or understand us, they'll still take it for granted how hard we work (at work), how hard we work to stay current with the technolgoy, how long it takes to fix their computer or teach them how to use e-bay (even though we oursevles may have zero experience with either).
So...if we accept that we can't change anyone's attitude by making them call us something different...is there still a reason to want them to call us something different?
June 26, 2008 at 10:48 am
Many good points here.
I think the age of our industry really is the main reason we are stuck the the "guy" in IT guy. Our terminology is not part of the mainstream yet, and changes so quickly that it won't for quite a while.
Remember, "Calculator" and "Computer" were job titles less than 50 years ago. While 50 years seams forever to us, from a language standpoint, it's a blink.
Like many of you, I don't care what I'm called. I usually say "Computer Programmer" because that at least, has entered the mainstream. If it happens that the person I'm speaking with is also part of the industry, I correct myself and say "go-coder" or "code monkey".
Lux
June 26, 2008 at 10:51 am
I've generally gone by Programmer or Developer. Developer leads some to believe that I build shopping malls or homes, so I might make it Software Developer, but Programmer is just so descriptive.
What we've never (collectively) realized is that people who don't respect or understand us won't miraculously start respecting and understanding us just because we change our name.
I once worked with a fellow programmer and good friend who asked to have his business cards changed to Software Engineer. I asked him what was wrong with Programmer, and he explained that he had a degree.
I've never really cared or even given it much thought. I live near Harrisonburg, VA in the Shenandoah Valley. In spite of it being a college town (JMU is there), there is a sizable minority of the populace in the area who have no real exposure to computers. My wife, who doesn't belong to that minority, often describes me as a computer geek. She knows nothing could be further from the truth, and so do my friends, but she finds it convenient to use in conversations. It doesn't bother me. In fact, a lot of people look at me in awe when they hear it.
My business card now says Consultant. I really like that. It means whatever I feel like it means. Very flexible.
June 26, 2008 at 11:08 am
OK, I've got it.
From now on, we're all "Computer Doctors".
😀
I thought about "Computer Lawyer", but it didn't sound as good...
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June 26, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Tom Garth (6/26/2008)
I've generally gone by Programmer or Developer. Developer leads some to believe that I build shopping malls or homes, so I might make it Software Developer, but Programmer is just so descriptive.What we've never (collectively) realized is that people who don't respect or understand us won't miraculously start respecting and understanding us just because we change our name.
I once worked with a fellow programmer and good friend who asked to have his business cards changed to Software Engineer. I asked him what was wrong with Programmer, and he explained that he had a degree.
In Texas I am pretty sure you can't use "engineer" in your official title unless you pass a state exam. I am not sure if that actually correlates to an engineering degree. Where I went to college (not in CS) they had a CS degree and a CS & Engineering degree, with slightly different curricula.
The official titles I've had (with and without "Senior" in front of them) have been Consultant, Systems Analyst, Developer, Web Application Developer, Software Developer, and now Systems Developer. My job description was more or less the same each time (with the exception of in-house vs. consulting)
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June 26, 2008 at 12:59 pm
😛 From where I am standing it really depends on the size of the firm and the articles used preceding IT. If you are "the IT guy" it is safe to assume you work for a small firm and do everything you don't outsource to a vendor, which makes "IT guy" a title similar in respect to superintendent. If you are an "IT guy" you would be in a mid-size to large firm, and if the firm has both a CIO and a CTO being an IT guy means you are on the CTO side of the organization tree. If you were on the CIO side of the tree you would be in IS (important to distinguish between information technology, the physical, and information services, the logical).
It is important to note that "IT guy" does not appear in the BLS list of titles and occupations. If it bothers you to be called an "IT guy" you could always respond I am not a technician, if that's what you mean.
I think it is important to distinguish technician work from information services work, because it serves to clarify what a person should or shouldn't be doing. A technician can port their skills to place other than wiring, server install, and pcs, and should be encouraged to look at technician work as a broader category of work that can take them to more interesting places.
Ultimately in my opinion IT is blue collar and IS is sort of off-white. You're IT if you like plugging stuff in and running cable, and turning screws, occasioning to push some buttons for testing purposes, and you're IS if you're a more a pusher of peripherals. :w00t:
June 26, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I like analyst myself. That, or secret agent.
June 26, 2008 at 1:26 pm
When I am in a "work" environment, I call myself a DBA. If I am in a "non-work" environment, I call myself a "computer geek." When I am with friends and family, I am just a "geek."
Brad M. McGehee
DBA
June 26, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Funny - I thought the IS guy was the one who had to go in and figure out why the toilet clogged, and the IT guy was the one who got to go in and unclog it....:)
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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
June 26, 2008 at 2:12 pm
June 26, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Brad M. McGehee (6/26/2008)
When I am in a "work" environment, I call myself a DBA. If I am in a "non-work" environment, I call myself a "computer geek." When I am with friends and family, I am just a "geek."
Perfect ! 😎
Having even "social" views :w00t::w00t:
At least the flag covers the payload :hehe:
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but keeping both feet on the ground wont get you anywhere :w00t:
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June 26, 2008 at 2:42 pm
alfred.ortega (6/26/2008)
1) When all "IT guys" have 7+ years of schooling before they enter the workforce then they can earn the "prestige" that titles like lawyer or doctor provide.
This won't work with IT. Doctors and lawyers get trained on years and years of cumulative knowledge, whereas historical IT knowledge has rudimentary knowledge. Of course, system architecture concepts, algorithms, logic, software engineering principles, etc., don't change as quickly as specific programming languages, databases, and applications... we do teach these concepts in (many) Computer Science programs. If one has a BS in Computer Science from a reputable 4-year university, it can be assumed that they understand the basics. Most professional positions require a 4-year degree in something, but the basic skills for the job can often be learned by teenagers in their free time (I learned Assembly language by reading books on it when I was in junior high). It isn't required that one have any specific certifications yet because a) the demand for skilled professionals is high, and b) the skills are often held by those without computer-specific degrees.
Glenn
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