Wednesday 11 July 2007

..IT professionals have some level of autistic behaviour?

Before you start throwing rocks at me, let me say I am and have been an IT professional for 11 years now, so I perfectly know what I am talking about...
AUTISM: pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, by an extremely limited range of activities and interests, and often by the presence of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors.

It’s not like I am saying we are retarded, morons or stupid. It is only we do have a deviation of behaviour which makes us less social based on normal standards.
And the more I think about it, the more I see the point my colleague made to me last year.
1) IT people hardly say good morning to each other.
The far a conversation in the office will go is “how was your weekend”? Or “have anything special planned for the weekend” ? (speaking of which, these two questions drive me insane so expect a post on it soon!)
2) We are always happy to chat on messengers or via email though.
Since I was a kid, I dreaded speaking on the phone. At one point when I was about 9, I got through a kid’s TV programme competition line and hang up because I couldn’t bear to talk to them. This came back to me when I first got here and I used to hate having to speak to anyone I didn’t know. Meanwhile I was making friends through blogs and keeping the closest relationship ever with my friends in Brazil, via e-mail. Nowadays I still prefer a chat, email or text message. Even with people I do know. Not because I am making excuses, or avoiding them. Just because I think I’ll always lack that gene which should have came from my mom, who speak hours on the phone and face to face without even realizing how the times goes by.
My current boss and colleagues are always firing emails for the most insignificant reasons. To ask if everything is ok, if it is raining outside, if they can leave early. And we are all sharing the same bank of desks.
3) Our hobbies are almost always things we do alone
I love doing my web designs, and watching TV. I love staying at home, on the comfort of my own house.
Hubby (who also works in IT for god know how long) loves his cars, and trackdays - something he has to do and enjoy, alone.

I do believe all IT Professionals have some mild level of autistic behaviour. Some people I know even sweat and shake when they have to talk with someone.
Some still go and socialize with people, but usually there will be another thing going around - Alcohol. It makes them relaxed and able to talk to each other.
My boss is not so bad, though. She has a fair net of friends here, after almost 6 years in this place, but then again, she still is e-mail crazy and avoid at all costs phoning people up.
Another colleague has a serious problem - he just wanna talk to you if it is about himself and will talk over you every time he has a chance.
I am a self-confessed geek. I don’t how long I could go for without a computer, and do you wanna see me climbing the walls for freedom? Cut the TV and the ADSL (broadband internet) cable.

I truly believe people who start in IT but are normal, can’t take the pressure of living in such lonely not-talking-to-someone-every-30-minutes kind of life and change careers as fast as they can (and I have loads of examples about these types!)

Of course there will always be the exception to the rule, and I also know 2 or 3 normal people working in IT, but they are a very rare breed.

Hubby and I are fighting against it. We made some brilliant friends over the course of last year and now. We are always going out and meeting people, having nice friendly conversations.
I am trying to say hello and good morning to everyone I have spoke a word before and sometimes even to people I don’t know. But it is hard. When people just lower their heads or avoid eye contact, you usually feel like the worse creature in the face of the earth. In a way, it is good I adopted this ideal we are all autistics, it’s a fantastic thing to blame for people not wanting talk to me!
Edited: I Beatrice pointed it was a very bad taste joke coming from me. I am sorry for that and have now striken that from the post.
I never, in any case meant this as a joke. I was just expressing my opinion that we IT professionals really must have some kind of condition which makes us less social or socially dysfunctioned than normal people. It was just a reflexion and I didn't mean it as a "remark", but just wanted to make a point it is in a much low level, a characteristic of IT professionals must have. I am sorry if it sounded like something else, it was never my intention.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's good to see that you're posting almost everyday... I like it!
I promise I will pay more atention to my behaviour, I'm not sure if I'm that way.
Everyday I tell people good moring, have a nice weekend... I'm used to talk to people about their lives outside the company and I love telephone, since I was a kid... rs... and I love email also. But I have lonely hobbies... rs... Yoga. Books. Riding bike. Walking... I think I have this kind of behaviour... maybe it's time to run away from this life...
Bye

Agape said...

See Lu, I know this theory makes sense :)
the thing is, here in UK people are less comuncative anyway. When you enter the IT environment though, it gets much worse. Some people will come, sit down work and go home without saying a word to anyone!
The thing is, in Brazil I kinda had the same feeling, evene people who talk to each other at work, they are different. Its like we geeks speak our own idiom :)

Catherine said...

The man in the pink shirt is in IT ... Should I worry?

Agape said...

Marianne
I think your only worry is he being shy to ask you out or make a move :) But never forget, there are always exceptions for the rule , lol