I’m a programmer and yes.
Although I never considered the term IT to be very fancy. 
LOL, 1or2musicians. Its just a description fo those who work in a certain field. Totally agree-- if you are a programmer, you work in IT.
If the term IT is used in the broader sense, yes, you can say I am in the field of IT. But the fact is that it could go days that I do not work on the main tools in IT at all: I could be working on debugging on a circuit board (its firmware side or even microprogramming side if this term makes sense to you) and not touching the main tool used by a typical IT: the computer. There are just different kind of IT. Arguable, most in our field think that, say, a person with an IT related background (along the line of II/IMS) is very different than someone with an CS/CE (computer engineering) background (or education.)
Mcat. To most of the world, you work in IT. Hardware or software, it’s all IT. It’s the liveware that you report having some current challenges with.
In your earlier post you denied you were ever in IT. Then you edited to add that you are a programmer. To most all of us, that is IT and to say otherwise is misleading or confusing.
It’s about data, storage, retrieval and all sorts of uses, functions, and roles. It’s one mighty big umbrella. k?
While I agree with those who say OP needs to let it go and bring it up with HR/the boss if applicable, I do feel sympathetic to his situation as a colleague who is that uncommunicative/uncooperative or openly expresses sentiments of “one must withhold information/be ruthless to get ahead” can often be a toxic corrosive influence on a given workteam.
For that reason, I’m not sure one can say his behavior is strictly between the boss and that uncooperative/uncommunicative/“ruthless” colleague. His behavior is clearly having a negative effect on the ability of the workteam to cooperate together in getting work done…including communicating with teach other so other colleagues have enough information to remain informed in order to prepare for and complete workteam projects.
A similar situation I had was the head of the IT department who stonewalled me and a couple of colleagues in setting up software crucial for our work which only he had authorization to set up. After a few days, ignored communications, and no results, we told our supervisor who then proceeded to light a fire under his posterior to get our software set up. This incident along with some others previous to my being hired enabled my supervisor to finally convince his “higher ups” to give each of us “superuser” access to our own workstations so we can install software without the drama of asking for authorization from the IT department who don’t seem inclined to respond in a timely manner.
IME, most programmers would not consider themselves to be part of IT. This is because in the tech world, IT is considered far less technically demanding than programming or being an engineer…including a computer engineer. In fact, some programmers and working engineers would consider it highly insulting to be classified in such a manner and take great umbrage over it. This is understandable if one takes even a cursory glance at the far greater technically demanding academic requirements for someone completing a bona-fide engineering/CS degree as opposed to one in MIS/IT or taking a few IT vocational courses.
As an analogy to what I’ve seen among some doctors…especially a few elitist ones who happen to be neurosurgeons or cardiologists…it’d be the equivalent to classifying them as nurses who aren’t nurse practitioners or medical assistants. While they’re all medical professionals, the former usually have a far more education in terms of education and academic demands than the latter.
These lumping-in of professionals who had much more technically and academically demanding training and professional demands with less demanding counterparts because they are in similar/same industries could be encapsulated in the following statement by a programmer colleague of an older cousin: “That’s the equivalent of saying Green Day/The Clash are equivalent to the BeeGees simply because they are all musical acts”
That statement was in the context of my equating X-Windows in Unix to Microsoft Windows 3.1/3.11 just to see their reactions while 17 and visiting my cousin at his workplace right before starting undergrad. 
Far less technically demanding? That pretty insulting. I couldn’t begin to explain what DH does, but it requires a high degree of technical skill as well as excellent people skills. Some programmers can get by with the former but often have trouble with the latter.
The analogy to healthcare makes sense. All those medical staff and medical professionals are in healthcare, regardless of their specific job title or education. A doctor ( regardless of specialty, and no need to call any an “elitist one”), nurses, lab techs , phlebotomists, PAs, etc are all in healthcare. I’d also say pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists are also in healthcare. A programmer is in IT.
Lots of terms are general. That CEO might accept that she’s part of the sales world, when she has zip to do with the task of selling and is mostly concerned with management tasks and company direction. It is not the same as calling a doc a nurse. Those are different jobs. Instead, you could say they were both in the "medical field’ - and without distinguishing between their levels of training and roles.
It’s very true that “Info Technology” can be a low level course of study. But even programmer is a general term and doesn’t distinguish between the coder and the designer.
Unfortunately, there are many corners of the engineering/CS/tech world where “people skills” are not only not appreciated, but a sign someone is lacking techie cred. This was clear in several hardcore engineering/tech firms relatives and friends worked for along with a few startups I was involved with.
That’s one reason why in those professional environments being assigned to sales/marketing departments is heavily stigmatized as those departments or jobs requiring great people’s skills are widely considered to be dumping grounds for engineering/tech workers whose technical chops were judged by technical upper management/supervisors to be mediocre or worse.
Not saying it was right or wrong…but that attitude is prevalent in many parts of the engineering/tech world. Especially among hardcore engineering/tech firms.
Whatever. My job title includes all three words (information, technology, programmer).
I work in an IT department. About half the members of the department are programmers. Others have different jobs but I’m pretty sure we’d all say we are IT. We would not all say we have the same job or do the same thing.
My spouse also works in IT and we consider ourselves to work in the same field. His job is quite different than mine. I’m not sure who thinks that people who work in the same field have equivalent jobs.
No, I worked in tech a long time, from start-ups to major corps, some hardcore, and ran into lots of uber competent folks who didn’t want to be sucked (or suckered) into the non-work aspects, didn’t want to be bothered with inane questions or water cooler chatter. In fact, the people who waste time are often the ones jamming up schedules or so engaged in the social fit that they miss the point.
Yes, tech is nicely suited to people who just want to put their heads down and get to work- and some of those do lack shiny social skills. So be it.
This can’t be generalized from a few tales, cobrat. Many engineers and tech folks aim toward a marketing role, where they can use their knowledge and analytical skills with *authority. * There are also segments of the tech world where engineer salaries top out compared with marketing. If one thinks folks like Gates are subpar and stigmatized… Think about it. It’s a big world.
My point is; OP needs to focus on what he can control, which is his work, his choices.
I called the doctors I’ve met who happened to be cardiologists or neurosurgeons “elitist” not because of their specializations, but because of their very attitudes of openly feeling themselves above nurses and medical assistants.
They also felt themselves above doctors in “lower level” specializations like pediatricians, internal medicine, general practitioners. While extremely boorish, several doctor friends have said this mentality is unfortunately prevalent among a subset of doctors who feel full of themselves due to being able to gain entry into perceived higher prestige specializations like cardiology or neurosurgery.
Notice I didn’t say all who were in those specializations…but a subset.
Actually, to most hardcore engineer/techies I’ve known and worked with, Gates isn’t respected for his technical chops. One illustration of this is the well-known story of his buying the source-code for what was later modded into MS-Dos for less than $100,000 from a tiny Seattle-based tech firm. Modded code which became the foundation for all Microsoft operating systems till the end of the Windows 9.x series(Last one was the forgettable WinME) and arguably to a lesser extent…OSes to the very present.
Instead, he is heavily reviled and grudgingly respected much more for his business marketing skills. Especially innovating the concept of the proprietary software end-user license and the aggressive use of litigation to his and and Microsoft’s advantage. Innovator in sales and marketing, certainly. Innovator in tech…that’s considered highly dubious by most hardcore engineers/techies who are aware of Gates’ and Microsoft’s early history.
“IME, most programmers would not consider themselves to be part of IT. This is because in the tech world, IT is considered far less technically demanding than programming or being an engineer…including a computer engineer. In fact, some programmers and working engineers would consider it highly insulting to be classified in such a manner and take great umbrage over it.”
God, I’m so not interested in the insular, self-referential, no-one-gives-a-darn world of who would be offended by being classified as what. I’m talking about the real world, in which information technology is a broad umbrella that certainly covers programmers, and no one much cares what they are “offended” or “not offended” by or whatever other self-referential stuff they think is important.
That is so far off the mark its not worth responding to.
Just because your cousin’s uncle’s former boss’es ex-husband knew someone who had been married to a neurosurgeon who may have had an attitude, it is so totally inappropriate to overgeneralize about the many many many practicing physicians in these particular specialties. Funny that you rail against generalizing about the term IT, but are fine with insulting whole medical specialties because of some supposed interchange or observation. And for the record, if a Dr feels their training is advanced compared to a nurse or a medical assistant, that’s not elitism, that’s accuracy.
And ditto what PG said. In spades.
You know an odd group, cobrat. Others have different experiences and observations and didn’t see this same terribly stratified and self-conscious world you talk of.
Jym626,
Judging by the above, it seems you didn’t read what I posted very carefully.
You’re confusing the opinions of the elitist doctors who happen to be cardiologists and neurosurgeons regarding “lower specializations”* like pediatrics or internal medicine with my own opinions. I am relaying their opinions, not mine to illustrate why many programmers and engineers hold themselves apart from and may even be strongly offended if they’re equated with folks in IT.
I wasn’t aware of this level of perceived stratification within the medical profession until I met those particular doctors and when I asked other doctor friends about it, they all confirmed that it’s unfortunate there’s a subset of doctors within the more prestigious specializations who hold such attitudes and it does influence some medical students when it comes time to choosing specializations.
- Their words.
I am not confusing anything, cobrat. Your constant accusation that people are elitist is beyond tiresome.
Here’s a list of 3 pages of posts where you have used that word. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/search?adv=1&search=elitist&title=&author=cobrat&cat=all&tags=&discussion_d=1&comment_c=1&within=1+day&date=
I would think someone who feels themselves above someone in the same occupation(doctor) because the latter’s specialization is perceived as “lower” than their own is the textbook definition of elitist.