Don't quote me on this ...

... but someone just asked me what "IT" meant to me and the first thing that popped into my head was:

Corporate drones in cheap suits getting their own back for fucked up childhoods.

I appreciate that this may come across as unfair, irrational, or particularly unpleasant but as I discussed with a friend the other night I am more and more confident about trusting my initial, intuitive, responses to things.

Comments

[Steve Freeman]

Someone recently said, "Don't write crap, don't link to crap and if you see someone else writing crap take them to task about it.".

I have as little time for corporate IT as anyone, but often they're regular working stiffs having to cope with inadequate training, slash-and-burn finance, and a desktop platform of choice that is near impossible to manage sensibly. Oh yes, and if anything goes wrong they take the hit.

In the right circumstances, perhaps you could gather some interesting stories about how they got that way -- or at least recommend them to a better tailor.

[Euan Semple]

I am not unaware of their challenges as a group Steve. My father used to be Head Of Computer Systems for what was, at the time, the largest local authority in Scotland so I have heard the war stories, the challenges of doing the impossible and what it feels like to be blamed for everything.

However we all have times when things are tough and we have to do less with more. You should try, as I have, facing an irate and probably scared radio producer when you have just made a mistake that has taken their programme off air in front of millions of listeners because you were tired and hadn't had enough resources to do the job properly. But this didn't turn me into some risk averse control freak who buried programme making under procedures that covered my arse next time!

Thanks for pushing back but I am not convinced that what I wrote, while perhaps impolite, is actually crap!

[Robert Paterson]

Another view - I am not very tech savvy but I have spent the last 15 years as my onw tech guy. I have only needed deep help twice. Everything else I have been able to do myself or ask a friend for help. I wonder do IT departments keep people helpless? Is "Support" good for people?

Do IT guys behave like the folks from Child Protetcion in Social Services and the cubies like the typical "Client" of this type of "Service" - is it all about dependency?

[Nancy White]

Oh dear. The first thing I thought of was a very bossy pronoun, wanting to be more visible.

IT!