Are the tabletops in your home littered with busted-open computers, just waiting for your nimble hands to tinker with them? Do you read computer manuals from cover to cover in your rare spare time? Is your idea of socializing logging on to Xbox Live for a rousing game of Crimson Skies? Do you use your GPS receiver to find your way to the next Mensa meeting? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're probably a geek. And we mean that only in the most loving way. But do most IT pros fit the geek stereotype? That's what we set out to discover when we used our Windows IT Pro Industry Survey 2004 to query you about your leisure-time activities.
We're happy to report that you're a diverse bunch, and we would venture to guess that most of you don't even own a pocket protector. You're a surprisingly family-oriented group of professionals, prone to outdoor activities and even fine literature. That being said, the geek remains alive and well in IT departments around the globe, evidenced primarily by your taste in movies, TV shows, and books. But before we dive into those areas, let's explore the ways you're bucking the geek trend and exploring non-technical pursuits.
Around the House
Most of you prefer to spend your leisure time with your family, far away from the siren song of your computer's humming fan. Perhaps you're among the many survey respondents who indulge in active pursuits, such as working out and engaging in your favorite sports activities. There are plenty of Martha Stewart and Bob Vila wannabes among you, too—do-it-yourself projects around the home are high on your list of favorite leisure-time activities.
Of course, many of you suffer withdrawal symptoms if you stay away from your computer monitor for too long, so when you get home from the office, you're likely to plop down in your home office for a little Web surfing. Those of you who, during off hours, succumb to the call of the couch are likely to affix your eyes to the tube or immerse yourself in a meaty technical manual. (One of our survey participants admitted to filling his leisure time with Windows IT Pro reading. Thanks, but, uh, go outside or something!)
To the many of you who wrote in that you have no leisure time, we say, "Get a life!" The same goes for those who said you spend your leisure time sleeping, as well as the reader who devotes any free time to cleaning and doing the laundry. Our favorite response to the question of how you spend your leisure time is "knapping." Either you're tired and knot a very good speller, or you like to fashion arrowheads—we're not sure.
The Sporting World
Not surprisingly, IT pros love football, as more than half of you listed that as your favorite sport to watch, either live or on TV. The Olympics are a big draw as well (at least this year), with basketball and baseball rounding out the field. IT pros outside the United States prefer to watch the Olympics and soccer—no surprise there, either. We got a kick out of the respondent who said he enjoyed watching chess. Way to enforce that stereotype!
Although you like watching football, few of you take to the gridiron yourselves, preferring instead to swim or bike your way to fitness. Another large group of you likes to escape to nature and spend the day hiking the trails. Many of you like to pick up a golf club or fishing rod in your spare time. Oh, and for future reference—say, when you take a stab at this survey next year—drinking is not considered a sport.
IT Tunes
Your tastes in music offer few surprises. The majority of respondents prefer rocking out to getting jazzed. Nearly a third of you enjoy listening to music in the adult contemporary genre. Only the twentysomething crowd even considered urban/hip hop to be a form of music. And one IT pro dances to a different tune altogether—"gothic-techno-trance-disco-bluegrass mix." We at Windows IT Pro find the thought of that somehow frightening.
Some of you prefer to make your own music. A third of this survey's respondents said they play a musical instrument. Of those, nearly half play guitar, a third play keyboard, and another third play brass or woodwind instruments. Add the 20 percent who play percussion, and we might have the foundation for an IT pro band. A one, and a two ...
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