National IT Professionals Day
We celebrate National I.T. Professionals Day on the third Tuesday of every September, on September 21 this year, to recognize the technical experts — network engineers, system administrators, database admins, ethical hackers, and many more types of I.T. professionals — that make sure our computer systems run smoothly. It takes a solid set of skills and talents to fill the shoes of an I.T. pro so, today, we say thanks to the people who come to fix our devices when they stop working the way they should — the behind-the-scenes operators without whom we’d be back in front of an archaic chalkboard, doing things the hard way. On this day let us support IT students and help them find scholarship resources to advance their studies in the field and become professionals in the near future.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL IT PROFESSIONALS DAY
National I.T. Professionals Day was created in 2015 to show appreciation for the tech wizards who take care of the nuts and bolts so that the average worker’s station stays hooked up to the company network and operates flawlessly.
If you’re old enough, you remember when the only meaning of ‘attachment’ was an actual piece of paper fastened with a metal paper clip to a memo that had been copied physically on a mimeograph machine. Technology has practically advanced at the speed of light since then and someone has always had to keep up with the latest technical advent to manage any misfires in a given system. These guys and gals are nothing less than essential to successful business practices. Today, we give them a pat on the back, buy them a cup of coffee, or just say, “Thanks!” Your I.T. pros will appreciate it.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL I.T. PROFESSIONALS DAY
1.Treat your I.T. guy or lady to a cup of joe
Think about how many times during a typical year you call your I.T. pro to come and help you fix something on your computer or to remotely control it to solve your issue. Once? 10 times? For us, it averages about a dozen times a year. So on this day, show your appreciation with a coffee-shop gift card or other small tokens.
2.Post on social media
Use the hashtag #ITProDay to draw attention to the holiday — and the tireless computer geniuses it honors. Encourage your friends and online followers to do the same.
3.Try to solve a technical issue on your own…
…Or at least think about what might happen if you were to. Do you see visions of irreparable damage? Permanently lost files? Weeks of work, down the drain? Notice that, and give a mental nod to the I.T. pros who prevent those disasters from happening.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL I.T. PROFESSIONALS DAY
A. Those guys can do things we can’t
I.T. pros exercise a specialized set of skills that make them seem like magicians to us. Sort of like your auto mechanic who can diagnose and fix things in your vehicle that you’ve never even heard of. Except — if your company has an in-house I.T. staff — you don’t have to pay 80 bucks an hour out of pocket for a complicated fix!
B. I.T. pros deserve recognition like anyone else
The people that keep things going — garbage collectors, postal carriers, truck drivers, and especially I.T. professionals — need to hear from everybody else that we consider them essential and indispensable because, without them, things would come to a screeching halt.
C. A chance to get to know an acquaintance
Say you do take your I.T. pro out for coffee, who knows what you could learn about them and their lives? You might even find out you have interests in common and make a new friend out of someone who has only been another face up to that point!
References:
“National IT Professionals Day” │ https://nationaltoday.com/national-it-professionals-day/