I freely admit not all days are comical in the IT world.

There are days, like today, where the computer screen is your closest companion, and a query your confidant. It is these days which cause you to question your sanity….repeatedly. They also afford you the time to work on your four letter vocabulary. As of an hour ago, I do believe I have hit every four letter, foul intended word today. Not exactly the goal I set for myself this morning.

So, as a respite from my unintentional goal, I thought I’d share a few IT fundamentals:

 

1. Coders have been known to flip off their computers. It doesn’t accomplish anything, but it sure makes you feel better.
2. Error messages when queries fail are not always helpful. Example: Msg 2714, Level 16, State 3, Procedure X_ScrewedUpQuery412, Line 4 [Batch Start Line 9] 
3. We may be quietly staring at our computer monitor but, in our heads we’re cursing like an old sailor.
4. Damn-It dolls are a good investment.
5. Stress balls are only good for throwing at other people.
6. If we are scowling, and mumbling, place a caffeinated beverage on our desk and quietly back away.
7. We tend to keep toys at our desk. Momentary mental distractions can save the life of our current project….and the person who requested it.
8. We are actually very polite, interesting, ‘normal’ people. Unless, things are blowing up, failing, malfunctioning, or not functioning.
9. We have a verbal filter when professionalism is called for, however, when surrounded by other IT personnel the filter is disabled. This can, occasionally, be a bad thing. More often then not, it is greatly appreciated.
10. We understand end users do not speak geek. We attempt to speak non-geek, but even our non-geek can be too geeky. We’re just hard-wired that way.
11. We really do enjoy helping you. We thrive on problems and challenges.  We just really like when you follow the process for reporting issues, and take the time to do basic troubleshooting.
12. We don’t all live on hot pockets and caffeine but, we can make a valid argument for their inclusion in daily life.
13. We do have different levels of geekiness. Some of those levels include nerdiness. And yes, there is a difference!

And last, but not least….

IT people are either dearly loved, or severely hated, depending on what is, or is not functioning.

Yours Faithfully,
R3b3l G33k