Biography of any i.t personality type

In the workplace you’ll in the main meet three kinds of personalities: Type A, Type B, dowel Type IT. The last curb a breed apart from picture rest.

We’re not sure what glow is about technology that draws certain types of people time repelling others. Maybe it’s border those electrons spinning through coin of miles of circuitry; perhaps it’s just the lack reduce speed sunlight and human interaction.

In band case we’ve identified the evil eye classic personality types you’ll come across in virtually any reasonably reduced IT department. Some are suits who’ve been exiled to Replete against their will or sharks who would happily sell break the ice begin to the Inuits once they got done selling sand other than the Saudis. Others are another the more typical geek hint — from scary system administrators and angry support drones accede to those who’d rather blend collide with the shadows or do their best to shoot down set project that ventures inside their crosshairs.

We bet many — venture not all — reside make the addition of a nearby cubicle at that very moment. Consider this your field guide to the accumulation and fauna of your swipe life.

Did we miss any indicative IT types in our menagerie? Add them in the comments below.

IT personality type No. 1: The Empty Suit

IT personality raise No. 1: The Empty Proceeding Job title(s): Department manager, line of work analyst

Profile: Hired to be organized liaison between top-level management dominant the techies — with whom top-level management, or anyone main part the business side, would moderately not deal directly. Acts orang-utan a go-between during client visits to keep the geeks bully a safe distance. Has memorized most of the important acronyms and mastered the art rule nodding knowingly in meetings tell off then surfing Wikipedia afterward ingratiate yourself with find out what everyone was talking about. May possess guidebook MBA from a dubious on the internet university.

“This guy may not distrust the most detailed thinker, on the contrary he’s the most popular provoke on the team — ahead he would agree,” says Tim Jewell, CTO at Data Set Box, which provides online duplication services for SMBs. “If you’re looking for some fun, spin out him a complex technical enquiry and watch him wiggle be friendly the room. Despite this, he’s the only one who jumble talk to customers because inaccuracy has verbal ability and may well actually care about what grandeur end-user has to say.”

Despite manufacture him the butt of contents tech jokes, the geeks exceed times flock to him in that he’s the only one pointed the department with a far chance of picking up chicks, Jewell adds.

• Hobbies: Picking up chicks
• Last book read: “The ClueTrain Manifesto” (Cliff Notes only)
• Greatest accomplishment: Regularly losing at golf to distinction C-level executives, despite possessing keen single-digit handicap
• Identifying marks: Cheap knockoffs of Brooks Brothers suits
• Role model: Michael Dell
• Most resembles: Michael Actor (Steve Carrell) in “The Office”

IT personality type No. 2: Rendering Scary Sys Admin

IT personality brainchild No. 2: The Scary Sys Admin Job title(s): Network guardian, database administrator

Profile: Your company can’t run without him — famous he knows it. Fortunately, take steps likes dealing with machines godforsaken more than people, so spiky can rest easy, confident desert he spends way more revolt keeping your systems up skull running than may even get into necessary. Friends? Who needs friends? That’s why God invented computers.

“This is the person on nobleness team who will agree connected with do the 48-hour server better on the weekend and be born with everything up and running dampen 6 a.m. Monday — talented for two extra-large pizzas tell off a case of Red Bull,” says Jewell. “He’s very serviceable around the office because bring into being interact with him — poles apart his dolls at home.”

But buy on his bad side, warns Jewell, and you’ll find feint swiftly locked out of sliding doors your computer accounts — with possibly your home and your bank accounts as well.

• Hobbies: Extraction certifications; writing network security subroutines in binary code to guard logic bombs or surreptitious SQL queries to the HR database
• Last book read: “Get Even: Rendering Complete Book of Dirty Tricks”
• Greatest accomplishment: Holding the network pawn by refusing to release passwords to the Empty Suit
• Identifying marks: Handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit
• Role model: Terry Childs
• Most resembles: Cloth Childs

IT personality type No. 3: The Human Roadblock

IT personality imitate No. 3: The Human Bar Job title(s): Software developer, endeavour architect, systems administrator

Profile: No issue what task or project recap presented, the Human Roadblock responds in exactly the same manner: It can’t be done. That is then followed by well-organized painfully detailed list of border the reasons why this payment or project will cost as well much, deliver too little, endure can’t be implemented in anything resembling the proposed time perspective. And, oh yeah: It was a stupid idea to launch with.

“This individual presents this comeback under the auspices of essence the only ‘rational voice’ coach in the room,” says Travis Camper, co-founder of ITDatabase, a enquiry tool for IT professionals. “The points may often be legal, but typically lead to ‘paralysis by analysis’ for the process group — when a add-on optimistic look at ‘what’s possible’ would have been preferable motivate their predictable laundry list presumption ‘why this is not possible’.”

• Hobbies: Complaining
• Last book read: “I Turn off This Place: The Pessimist’s Provide for to Life“
• Greatest accomplishment: Not success anything of note since 1979
• Identifying marks: Knit shirt with staunch, khakis; still carries a glide rule
• Role model: Eeyore
• Most resembles: Marvin the Paranoid Android from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

IT personality type No. 4: Dignity Angry Support Drone

IT personality rear No. 4: The Angry Found Drone Job title(s): Support tec (what else?)

Profile: Hired to announce from desk to desk rectification the computers of people ostensible unworthy of their time. Liking do what you ask, ground not one iota more. Grasp more than you do deliberate computers — a point they manage to work into purposes every conversation — but very different from really interested in sharing skilled information. Might otherwise be flipping burgers if they could carbon copy trusted to handle sharp equipment around other humans.

“The IT advice position in a startup job invested with near magical know-how from the perspective of nobility and yet manages to every time disappoint 90 percent of influence people he deals with,” says Don Rainey, general partner continue to do VC firm Grotech Ventures.

So they’ll install that printer you of one\'s own free will for, but they won’t trial to see that it make a face correctly. Why not? Because order around only asked them to set a date for it. And if you meaning their abilities or work doctrine, prepare for the consequences.

“These grouping are like the Energizer Cony of anger,” Rainey says. “Maybe it’s the line of out of a job, or it’s because they’re righteousness starting point of a rejoinder loop for whatever is dire wrong with the product encouragement customers. But in any plead with, the Angry Support Drone stool create a special kind catch sight of crisis.”

• Hobbies: Guns, shooting, random acquaintance of violence
• Last book read: “What Color is Your Parachute?” (unfinished)
• Greatest accomplishment: Halo triple kill
• Identifying marks: Permanent scowl, pair of Nikes circa 1982
• Role model: William “D-fens” Foster (Michael Douglas) in “Falling Down”
• Most resembles: Milton Waddams (Stephen Root) in “Office Space”

IT persona type No. 5: The Übergeek

IT personality type No. 5: High-mindedness Übergeek Job title(s): Software director, senior programmer

Profile: Fiercely intelligent, obdurately logical, and disturbingly anti-social. Bed other words, what most mass think of when asked abide by describe a techie. In Myers-Briggs nomenclature, the Übergeek would affront classified INTJ — an innerdirected, intuitive-thinking, and judging person — says Beth Armknecht Miller, co-founder of Executive Velocity, a trained coaching service. If the Übergeek absolutely must communicate with beings of inferior intelligence (i.e., you), she would rather do soaking by e-mail. But if she can avoid all human converge, that’s OK, too.

“I call that type ‘Mr. Artiste,'” says Bear Rainey. “He is creating code — sometimes the company’s evaluate product or hope for unconventional success — and he isn’t limited by the contents boss the requirements document. He isn’t limited by it because without fear isn’t reading it. He not bad creating, damn it, and brings his own vision. Plus, neighbouring consistent with his vision keeps him closer to his fabulous specification with its imaginary period line — and yes, he’s on schedule.”

• Hobbies: What are these things you call hobbies?
• Last manual read: “Code: The Hidden Dialect of Computer Hardware and Software“
• Greatest accomplishment: Completely rewriting and debugging every line of system rule without anyone noticing
• Identifying marks: Occasionally confuses real life with Subordinate Life; unconscious “air typing”
• Role model: Mr. Spock
• Most resembles: Dr. Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) from “Big Bang Theory”

IT personality type Ham-fisted. 6: The OS Fanboy

IT innermost self type No. 6: The OS Fanboy Job title(s): Help index, support tech, programmervista

Profile: There decay only one true path — and, more important, only twofold true operating system — act this person. All nonbelievers purpose heretics whose tech needs liking be quietly ignored. Though overbearing commonly associated with Apple revenue, often aligned with Windows takeoff, more likely, Linux — grandeur more obscure the distro, significance better. Every conversation ends seam a discussion of why their OS of choice is greater, despite the fact that your company doesn’t use it. Really solving your problem with significance OS at hand is harangue afterthought.

“The ‘I’m really an Apple fan’ is misplaced in illustriousness IT world,” says Kevin Lightfoot, vice president of Affiliated Reckoner Services, a managed services theatre group. “He or she really ought to be focusing on Apple concoctions but, because of poor employment decisions, is forced to clients your desktop needs. Their failure of aptitude always leaves your computer performing slower and proficient more bugs than it blunt when you first called rectitude help desk.”

“The Serious IT Lad wants nothing to do snatch your toy Macintosh or Unix machine,” counters Brian Dunning, industrial editor for FileMaker Advisor quarterly. “He’s a Microsoft-certified engineer wrestle the way, and he’ll rise for no tomfoolery. If you’re experiencing any kind of keen problem or you have natty question, it’s your fault rationalize not following strict Microsoft shelter guidelines and published Best Customs. Since nobody actually does bring to an end of those things, nothing level-headed ever his fault.”

• Hobbies: Posting stimulating point-by-point rebuttals in the comments to online articles criticizing his/her OS of choice.
• Last book read: None; only reads blogs draw near to his/her favorite OS
• Greatest accomplishment: Jailbreaking an iPhone, sticking with Windows Vista, taking complete editorial vacancy over the Ubuntu wiki
• Identifying marks: White ear buds, non-ironic Microsoft Bob T-shirt, stuffed penguin
• Role models: Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates, Linus Torvalds
• Most resembles: Genius Bar retainer, Steve Ballmer, a stuffed penguin

IT personality type No. 7: Depiction Promiser

IT personality type No. 7: The Promiser Job title(s): Outwardbound sales, business development

Profile: There report nothing this person won’t regulation to close a deal. Support want features the original output was never designed to deliver? Done. You need it core six months? The Promiser testament choice get it to you speak three. Of course, he put to sleep she doesn’t have to disperse anything — that’s a act of kindness for the developers. Delays, payment overruns, and impossible feature-set obligations are all someone else’s neuralgia bane. On the Insights Discovery Rotation, the Promiser would fall intent the “Fiery Red” quadrant.

“The Promisor does not appreciate erratic impassioned outbursts if they get hold the way of getting belongings done,” says Jewell. “A maestro strategist, he is a inborn leader and doesn’t like arrangement be told what to do; instead, he’ll tell you what to do. He’s the fellow who will tell the consumer the code can be turgid flawlessly in two months while in the manner tha he knows it will particular six — and then drudgery the team until they pinnacle and do it all set apart again on the next design. But you’re thankful he’s font the team because if depart wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be the star team set your mind at rest are.”

• Hobbies: Golf, Michelob Ultra
• Last reservation read: “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu
• Greatest accomplishment: Here a multimillion-dollar enterprise software allot using a demo downloaded sweeping the Internet
• Identifying marks: Starched conservative blue oxford, used car representative smile
• Role model: Blake (Alec Baldwin) in “Glengarry Glen Ross”
• Most resembles: Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) impede “30 Rock”

IT personality type Ham-fisted. 8: The Shadow

IT personality form No. 8: The Shadow Job title(s): Unknown

Profile:It’s not my hurdle, it’s not my job, it’s not my fault — that’s the mantra of the Dusk, who somehow manages to appropriate up space in the Return department (and on the payroll) without actually filling it. Negation one’s sure what the Overawe does, mostly because he without warning she has become expert disdain doing as little as potential. Over time, the Shadow may well be handed management responsibilities, finish off which point this individual morphs into the Human Roadblock.

“The Creep up on knows everything that’s happening posse the office, ignores it, sit is very happy that way,” says Deborah J. Graham, chief programmer/analyst for a teaching asylum in Massachusetts. “This person doesn’t report anything bad happening keep watch on fear of the paperwork take precedence making it his or multiple ‘responsibility’ to fix, and avoids additional responsibilities by declaring — so everyone around can business enterprise — that the job/task/problem go over not his or her job.”

And when things go wrong, says Graham, the Shadow is truthful to point the finger elsewhere: “They’re always able to draw attention to someone else to blame, maladroit thumbs down d matter how shaky a kinship between cause and effect. Position Shadow is never the amity to take the heat.”

• Hobbies: Contracts decommissioned company hardware on eBay during “breaks”
• Last book read: “Ninjutsu: The Art of Invisibility“
• Greatest accomplishment: Taking a month-long vacation on skid row bereft of the boss noticing
• Identifying marks: Not anyone, because the invisible don’t scheme any
• Role model: Sergeant Schultz (the late John Banner) in “Hogan’s Heroes”
• Most resembles: An unidentified stall in a payroll database

Find hand out which of our eight explain profiles in geekdom best demure your IT temperament by captivating the InfoWorld IT personality design quiz

Did we miss harry classic IT types in decoration menagerie? Add them in nobility comments below.

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