[dcow]

Um wow there's a lot wrong with this comment. But that aside, what if I told you programming was just modern accounting, glorified data entry? All programmers do is put code into repositories. Very very few people are actually inventing new systems and algorithms. If you're a "framework programmer" you know what I mean.

Anyway point is it's a spectrum. Yes some "IT" labor is menial, but I also know IT people who know way more about security and networking and identity etc. than most software engineers will in their entire career.

[hoborama]

I would put security experts and networking experts in the "technically-skilled" category. However, my experience of most people who have something like "IT security" in their job title, is that they're just the guy who updates a spreadsheet that has a list of security policies in it, and they send emails out to people who have breached one of those policies. Admin.

[ravenstine]

That's very true, although I am sure that IT experts wouldn't be particularly happy being called "programmers" if the tables were turned. Then again, I could be wrong... it has surprised me over and over how few programmers care about being referred to as IT. I personally prefer having my specialization be explicit as opposed to being generalized or misattributed.