Friendships in the IT Workplace?

Greg Cantori asks: "We've seen stuff like this on TV and in movies. Policemen, Firemen, Astonauts, Army guys, etc, all gathered round a BBQ on a sunny weekend, chugging a few cold ones and maybe talking shop, wives and girlfriends preparing salads, kids running round the garden. Middle class bonding and fun, eh? Now, picture your IT workplace. Look around at your workmates. Do *you* get together on weekends? Do your spouses know any personal details of your workmates' spouses, beyond what may have slipped out during a long forgotten company Chistmas ball? Do you go bowling, play poker, or help your colleagues pave the driveway of their new home? Do you even have drinks with them after work? Is it just the professions who share some element of physical danger where this stereotypical bonding occurs, or can it occur with nerdy programmers? What are your experiences with friendships in the code-cutting office?"

Jeez.

[Leven Valera]

Damn, man, you mean socialize? As in, hang out? With the users? WTF?

Oh, other IT. Okay. Had me panicked for a second.

oh...my...god

[Anonymous Coward]

/. is fucking ann landers

Drinks after work ???

[teaserX]

Are you mad? IT guys don't drink after work. Espescialy *WITH* other IT guys. We drink *during* work.

geeks have superiority complexes...

[Mr. Quick]

... why would i want to hang out with people that aren't as smart as me?

Re:Jeez.

[new-black-hand]

its tempting just to drop them the 'i read your email' line while yous are drunk

Re:Drinks after work ???

[ananke]

my old boss even knew that if he wanted me to do overtime, he had to buy alcohol UP FRONT, and have it ready before i start working that day. and boy, after few beers, my admin skills were enhanced. i blame it on my polish nationality.

Re:True.

[pubjames]

It is more true of IT companies than others, mainly because a lot of IT workers are anti-social.

We are not fucking anti-social! Idiot.

um

[harvord]

We dont have weekends or friends, we have THE SIMS!

Re:Ask Slashdot?

[odaiwai]

Do we need a Socializing HOWTO?

1. Introduction
2. Buying Rounds
2.1 Always Buy your round
2.2 Even if you don't like everyone.
3. Make Small Talk
3.1 The Weather
3.2 Not latest Kernel Versions (unless you're all geeks)
3.3 Sports are good
3.4 Geeky sports like Karate, Judo, Fencing are ok, but don't go overboard
3.5 Chess is right out
4. More drinking
4.1 Drink less than Alcoholics
4.2 Seriously, don't try and keep up
4.3 Don't get sick on the Boss
4.4 Get Happy, not stupid.
4.5 If you buy rounds when everyone else is drunk, you're not obliged to drink alcohol.
(otherwise known as 'chuffing heck, he didn't even look drunk after 15 pints of lager!'
4.6 Do Not Call the Boss a Wanker even after 15 pints of Lager.
4.7 Be able to Discretely Go Home early if required. (Wives are good for this)
5. When you get home
5.1 Drink Plenty of Water, eat something
6. Next Day
6.1 Don't be Hungover
6.2 Don't Show the Photos of the Boss and the inflatable Sheep.
6.3 Reserve them for Staff Appraisals
6.4 Eat fried egg and bacon sandwiches in front of the worst offenders from last night.
7. Summary
7.1 Don't get too Drunk
7.2 If you must get drunk, don't be obnoxious
7.3 Rember people who are obnoxious drunks
7.4 If they piss you off, portray them as alcoholics to the management.

Re:Jeez.

[heylady]

I work with these people 40+ hours a week....to socialize with them and talk about what? :) WORK?

First thought rading your pust:

[wirefarm]

> 2. Buying Rounds

Hollowpoint...

Re:Jeez.

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't be so hard on yourself. You may be IT but you don't have to put yourself down. If you're desperatly lonely I'm sure a user would hang out with you. You are IT and the bottom of the barrel when it comes to technical professionals but I'm sure at least one kind soul can.put that aside.

Re:I have no friends

[underpaidISPtech]

Do I know you? Job's not as cushy as you think, pal.
A real career-killer.

Re:Funny and insighfull

[Flounder]

Actually, the descriptions of the bonding, especially among firemen, is very real. My dad was a fireman for 26 years, and pretty much the only people he hung out with were his fellow firemen. Yes, weekend BBQs, softball games followed by pizza and beer, it all actually happens.

Of course, when you risk your life on a daily basis with a group of people in similar circumstances, you can't help but bond with them. I don't think many IT people (myself included) consider our profession life threatening (unless you're AOL tech support, and that's just from suicides.)

Re:geeks have superiority complexes...

[jimand]

that should be "as smart as I"

Re:Jeez.

[Anonymous Coward]

"I'll know the hackers because they tend to be larger than most people."

-Donald Knuth @ Xerox PARC, 11/08/2001

Re:Ask Slashdot?

[mini me]

I think you need to make this more clear to the Slashdot crowd:

#include "beer.h"
#include "socialize.h"

int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
int beer = 0;
int drink;
int alcoholic = 24;

while((beer = buy_rounds(beer)))
{
make_small_talk(ST_WEATHER | ST_SPORTS);
if(!everyone_else_drunk())
{
for(drink = 0; drink < alcoholic; drink++)
if(beer) consume(beer--, drink);
}
}
goto home;
home: drink_and_eat("water", "food");

return 0;
}

Re:geeks have superiority complexes...

[Snowfox]

that should be "as smart as I"

Narcissist! This wasn't about you!!!

:)

Firemen?

[a_an_the]

You want cameraderie? Forget firemen -- what about accountants? Take your typical CPA firm. Not only do they refer to their collegues as their "brothers" (or "sisters"), but I've heard a typical accountant will even let his brother accountant borrow his pencil sharpener.

Offending your friends

[scheveningen]

So who's compensating for the 190+ in your avarage of 140?

since i have root permissions

[bear777]

i can already know all their deepest secrets. why waste time getting superficial information in person? ;-)

Re:Jeez.

[Anonymous Coward]

Leave him alone, it's not nice to tease the guys who couldn't make it as programmers. Short of playing games all day what else is he going to do besides play cop in a corporate network?

Re:Funny and insighfull

[SuperRob]

"I don't think many IT people (myself included) consider our profession life threatening"

You clearly have never had to deal with a Vice President or CEO who just lost a proposal an hour before their meeting.

Re:Ask Slashdot?

[r_j_prahad]

You omitted a few critical variables...

double vision;
float vomit;
static struct urinal;

Re:Jeez.

[Sentry21]

Mountain bicycling is the bridges all social gaps.

Invite them go to North Shore biking with you. No one will ever find the bodies, and they'll certainly never pin it on you if they do.

--Dan

Re:Jeez.

[Anonymous Coward]

Echelon heard that.

Tracing IP Address... done.
Dispatching Re-Education Squad... done.

America complete.