Give me your best I.T. related words, phrases, and aphorisms. I have worked in a variety of companies, all of which seem to have some interesting lingo and vernacular. I am not looking for stuff like 'cookie', and 'firewall'. More along the lines of: 'Going Dark' - when developers grab a requirements document and disappear for months, 'Snowflake' - a server that has been modified to the point of being unique, fragile, and unrepeatable. Phrases would include things like 'The problem is between the chair and the keyboard', 'XYZ consulting is just a body shop', or 'Those legacy systems are sunsetting'. Help me collect colorful I.T. lingo and proverbs.
posted by jasondigitized on Jul 23, 2009 - 71 answers

I'm an entry-level computer technician looking for advice on what skills are most vital for me in today's market, and how to best achieve them. Specifically, I would like to know what hands-on classes I should look into in the Nashville, TN area. [more inside]
posted by joshrholloway on Jul 9, 2008 - 16 answers

I'm an IT professional who is having a very hard time finding a job. What am I doing wrong? [more inside]
posted by PetiePal on Oct 19, 2007 - 14 answers

How do great I.T. Managers run their departments? I am looking for a playbook on how to run a steamlined I.T. department for an organization of 500-1000 people. McDonalds has a handbook on running a restaurant from soup-to-nuts. I want the same for an I.T. Department. I have searched the Web and Amazon and cannot practical, tactical information on managing an I.T. department. I can easily find literature on high-level concepts like ITIL, SOA, and 'Runnng I.T. Like a Business', but nothing practical like 'How to run a helpdesk', 'How To Keep Track of Software Licenses' or even 'What does an I.T. Manager really do?'. What are the things that your I.T. department does that make them great? How do I get a blackbelt in I.T. Management?
posted by jasondigitized on Feb 20, 2007 - 22 answers