lots of professions face this kind of stress. it's a big part of why the pay is high. for whatever reason the majority of people almost always choose more work and more money over other options (there are several studies backing this). the general rule is that people say they would be happy if they made 50% more money than they do now, regardless of how much they make now.<p>my advice: recognize the marginal utility of money and plan accordingly. recognize your frivolous "needs" for what they are. I realize this is a lot harder for people with, say, a family living in san francisco with very high living expenses and you are the primary bread winner. my advice for that is....don't be the primary breadwinner with a family in a high cost of living area? sorry but you made choices without realizing what you were getting yourself into.
Can someone from a country which has vacation time clarify this for me: how exactly does four weeks of vacation work? Assume that I'm from a planet of weird space-aliens where by default you're expected to work every day the company is open. Do you have to take vacation time consecutively? Do you have to take it at a particular time of the year? Is it subject to some sort of approval process?
Sorry, compared to some jobs IT isn't that stressful. Think about the jobs that literally face life and death issues: medics, armed forces, police, lawyers, social workers etc.<p>I've known people in all of these areas and it really helps me put any issues I have into perspective.
If you were to believe a lot of the job postings, Ninjas might also be a workplace hazard in the IT industry.<p>Below an example from 37signals<p><a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=site:37signals.com+ninja" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/search?q=site:37signals.com+ninja</a>
I can't help but think these sorts of issues aren't limited to the IT world. Programmers and sysadmins are not the first, nor the last, groups to be asked to work long hours (or work them voluntarily), nor are they the only groups to sit at a terminal for most of the work day.<p>Now, excuse me, I have to start packing for my family's month long road trip....
Burning out sucks. Sorry I couldn't think of a more articulate way of putting it. I've been through that experience and am just trying to find some level of normalcy in IT where I can be a high achiever yet still live my life. It doesn't help when you have personal issues but then everyone's got their demons.<p>Some have quit, walked away and moved on to less stressful careers. Tasks that are less demanding on the mind. I would love to do that, but then would I really ever be happy like that? Alot of us thrive at being great at something, not just good but trying to be the best we possibly can. I know I'm constantly pushing my boundaries, yea its stressful but I also reap the rewards of higher knowledge. A part of life is learning and by giving up on that you are only hurting yourself.<p>The key is finding a balance, to know how to improve without losing yourself.
Lots of truth in this.<p>I've been "in IT" for 15+ years post uni, and nodded all the way through reading this (It's true that these things creep up on you).<p>Very recently our startup got funded (a modest Angel round), and now I can honestly say that I'm much less stressed than I have been in a very long time... I have more time for "me".<p>Sure, I work 80+ hours a week - but I do it on my schedule, so I can go bushwalking, fishing - have the odd random day off, and spend a few hours each evening with my family.<p>I think the dangers of IT can be "managed", if you have the flexibility (or discipline) to do so.
Thank you for this. A few months ago, I quit my job (developer) to pursue something else that is totally new to me. I am on training right now and I have never been so relaxed in my working life. The job also allows me to travel a lot (I do not have a family yet, so I guess this is plus points).<p>Right now, I do a little programming at night to work on my pet projects. Within a few months programming became a lobby and I am starting to love it again.
In 1999, when I was 19 years old, I started working at a "web buraeu", as we called them in my country back then. I did html, asp, php, graphics, design. All that. A jack of all trades, sort of, as I've always been talented with pretty much anything technical, and as it was a small company that needed its employees to "pitch in" where they could. I worked with this company for 1.5 years, until march 2001, when me and two others had to leave because of shortage of work. At this point I had developed a sociophobia and various, severe stress disorders, among them panic attacks. I took a position with another "web bureau" 2 months later to try maintain an income. 9 months later, in march 2002, just having had my 22nd birthday, I was broken down to the point that I often needed help with grocery shopping and most other daily errands related to the outside of my home. In late 2003, the side-effects hit their climax; on average I left my apartment 3-4 times per month - just to take the trash out. Today, march 2010, I have still not fully recovered my ability to work in the capacity normally implied by a "9 to 5". My normal hours in the two jobs that broke me down ranged between 10 to 14 hours per day, and I worked most saturdays and sundays as well.
I want a vacation desperately... not just to use vacation time, I want to go somewhere and completely forget I have a job. The last 3 times I've tried taking vacation time I've been called to fix an issue.
Too bad the author is such a poor writer. He probably has some interesting things to say. But I tuned out once I encountered multiple syntax errors in the first paragraph.