TAFE Personalities

I always find it interesting to see what kinds of people are attracted to studying [and teaching] IT. See if you can spot any of the following personality types.

Basic Smarty-Pants Nerd 
These people are constantly striving to prove they know more and are better than anyone else [actually due to significant underlying feelings of personal inadequacy]. They usually do not like to engage in group/class activities; ostensibly as they tell themselves, because this is beneath their ability, but actually due to poor interactive skills. However these types are usually happy to assist others when asked [although often driven by a need to show superiority rather than any genuinely altruistic motives]. Classic behaviours include interrupting and 'correcting' other people's conversations and steamrollering newbies by adding extra, complicated detail. BSPNs are always ready to engage in petty one-upmanship games, ranging from "I started this stuff way before you did", to "There's a newer/better one than that now", to "My CPU is bigger than your CPU". I mean, Sigmund Freud would've had a field day with this stuff.

Usually quite oblivious to their irritating effect on others, BSPNs seek admiration. However, lacking as they are in humility, empathy and basic social skills, they are often unable to interpret the tired and glazed expressions of others as a sign to shut TF up. Awkward in 'normal' company and conversations, they tend to mix with other BSPNs of similar ilk - actually the only people who will tolerate them. They can feel lonely and isolated for this reason. Sadly these people can experience difficulty in securing employment [and chicks], despite their often significant technical abilities, as they are perceived as rude and geeky and tend to alienate other users, i.e. just the sort of qualities you don't need in a tech support person.

Quiet but confident 
These individuals score more highly on the humility/modesty scale than the BSPNs, which puts them streets ahead already. They are usually people with a significant degree of ability, who nevertheless acknowledge the need to expand upon their existing skills. Although perhaps lacking in qualities such as assertion, these are the types who will tend to get on with the job and take pride in their work, without 'blowing their own trumpet' too much. The quiet achievers if you like. With a bit of encouragement to get out there and be hip, these people can often be successful in employment and exploring the rich tapestry of life.

Quiet but not very confident 
Typical of the ageing late adopter of computer technology [hello dad], these people lack confidence in themselves and often feel quite alienated by technology per se. As a teacher it is important to spend time with them as they won't always speak up when they are having problems [which is often] as they feel they're 'wasting' the teacher's time and don't deserve individual attention as much as others. QBNVCs can get further discouraged when they compare themselves unfavourably with other members of the group, whom they perceive to be more knowledgable than themselves. They are also particularly vulnerable from the patronisation of BSPNs, who  sneer at and ridicule their inevitably naive questions.

Computer Gamer 
Hedonists in every meaning of the word, these people spend most of their time playing games or surfing the net [and at home: downloading porn]. Not particularly motivated to learn anything, their actual technical ability is usually several points below their perceived technical ability. Some do actually arrive early for lessons, but often only so they can grab that special seat in the corner of the classroom, which they mistakenly believe will let them hide away and opt out of contributing in class.

Water Treader 
Similar to the computer gamer in their lack of motivation, water treaders do not know why they are studying IT, it's just that their parents [dole, parole, whatever] said they had to do something, and IT seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean computing can't be that difficult can it? Sometimes these people show a high degree of intelligence and ability, their main drawback being a general lack of direction and motivation. With moulding and encouragement, these types can be assisted to bloom, if you can find out what it is that blows their hair back.

Keen 'n' Clean 
Every teacher likes students to be interested in their subject. The keen ones, with a genuine interest to learn are often the only factor preventing many a teacher from just necking themselves with a rusty razor. The K&Cs are there because they want to be there and pursue the subject with genuine interest. In some ways they are rather lucky people, because they tend to have a high degree of internal motivation and self-direction; something which many of us might wish for. It is these people whose continued efforts and enthusiastic demeanour are often rewarded with good jobs, and quite rightly so.

R-Slickers 
A sub-category of the Keen 'n' Cleans, this pseudo K&C group's defining feature is a tendency towards gaining the approval of some idealised luminary, rather than pursuing knowledge for its own end. Sadly lacking in self-esteem, at the end of the day nobody really loves an R-Slicker. Not even themselves.

Tell Me What To Do Brigade 
These dudes have a distinguishing lack of internal motivation or discipline. They find security in taking directions from a leader and tend to do what is asked of them. However when things get difficult it's Flap City. Rather than sitting back, analysing the situation and trying to nut out a solution, they panic and come scampering back, expecting the leader to give them the easy answer on a plate.

These people are totally uncomfortable with a 'the buck stops here' position and hence are destined to forever take direction from others. The lack of patience and short fuse typical of TMWTDs, makes them generally unsuited to hard core IT work, where qualities such as temperance, analytical skills and an ability to figure stuff out for yourself are paramount. A good sense of humour can sometimes be their saving grace.

Hip Dudes 
Existing since the beginning of humankind, every culture has them. Currently defined by the flared trousers, baggy T-shirts and pseudo grunge of our time, these are the guys and gals paradoxically trapped in the conformity of non-conformity, for whom looking cool and now is everything. OK, I wore flares. Once. And a cheesecloth shirt. With a huge collar you could sail a yatch with. many of us have been there, once, even Henry. This subset includes the cra-zy skateboarders, the baseball cap wearers, the case modifiers, the navel piercers, the nice tummy showing betwixt skimpy top and jeans, and the Janice Joplin/Bob Dylan rennaissance crowd. Not to mention m'homies with the baggiest of jeans, which would make a seasoned parachutist blush. If it was 1979 they'd be trying hard to look like John Travolta; if it was 1990 it would be Robert Smith's dark shades of goth.

Hip Dudes are mostly just out there having a good time and good on 'em I say. Right on. It just rocks for me too, man. Yeah! As a genus, it's hard to classify HDs as they can traverse all sub-categories of user. Some just wanna sit there and download as much music as they can, pushing the limits of their U: drives to the max. Some are hardcore CGs, heavily into the gaming scene as can be witnessed by their bedraggled apearance, ferocious patch downloads, cooked processors and enormous vocabulary for weaponry. Generally most HDs are harmless [but watch out for badly parked skateboards] as long as they don't think they are too hip to learn anything [pseudo BSPNs]. They can often usefully advise on the best crack/music sites to be frequenting this week.

Whingers 
Dictionary.com defines whinging as:

whinge   Pronunciation Key  [hwnj, wnj]
intr.v. Chiefly British whinged, whing·ing, whing·es

To complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.

Everybody knows one, POMs used to have a reputation for it, they're everywhere and they are generally avoided by everybody else, whenever possible. Rather than pursuing a deserving cause, whingers tend to whinge about lots and lots of things to lots and lots of people. Sometimes they have a genuine point, but their tendency to whinge a lot, about a lot, has the effect of diluting and detracting from their cause. Bit of a ' cry wolf ' situation really. It also gives them an outstanding reputation, which everybody else soon gets to hear about.

Tiresome in the extreme, these people often have what's known in Psychiatry as a sense of entitlement. They believe the world owes them something and rather than motivating themselves to get out there and do stuff, they prefer to sit back and complain about why the world isn't fitting into their egocentric little schema. Sorry, did I sound like I was getting on my soapbox a bit there? Whingers are the opposite of go-getters. Pessimistic in the extreme, for them the glass is always half-empty.

Rather than fighting for a cause and making the world work for them, a seasoned whinger much prefers to sit and moan. Sad but true, it's hard to warm to a whinger. The only thing worse than a whinger is a Whiner and you don't want me to go there. Likewise with another sub-category: the backstabbers. Again, a finely tuned sense of humour can help tip the balance and some do manage to make it, perhaps as a comedian like Steve Wright or Jerry Seinfeld or something, making sardonic but informed comments about life and being generally dry and witty.


Disclaimer: The above is of course, a completely fictional piece and merely the result of my own fevered imaginings. Any possible resemblance to persons living or dead or not sure, is entirely coincidental.
No, really..




This article was originally published on the internet in October 2001