In the workplace you'll generally meet three kinds of personalities: Type A, Type B, and Type IT. The last are a breed apart from the rest.

We're not sure what it is about technology that draws certain types of people while repelling others. Maybe it's all those electrons spinning through millions of miles of circuitry; maybe it's just the lack of sunlight and human interaction.

[ Find out which of our eight classic profiles in geekdom best suit your IT temperament by taking the InfoWorld IT personality type quiz. | Learn about IT's dirtiest jobs, or have a laugh thanks to your network's weakest link in Stupid user tricks 4: IT horror never ends ]



In any case we've identified the eight classic personality types you'll find in virtually any reasonably sized IT department. Some are suits who've been exiled to IT against their will or sharks who would happily sell ice to the Inuits once they got done selling sand to the Saudis. Others are of the more typical geek persuasion -- from scary system administrators and angry support drones to those who'd rather blend into the shadows or do their best to shoot down any project that ventures inside their crosshairs.

We bet many -- if not all -- reside in a nearby cubicle at this very moment. Consider this your field guide to the flora and fauna of your work life.

Did we miss any classic IT types in our menagerie? Add them in the comments below.

IT personality type No. 1: The Empty Suit