The hidden dangers of working in IT

Working in IT has a lot of up sides, there is always new and interesting challenges that can be pretty fun to solve. Finishing a product is always exciting. Getting into a solid state of productivity is also a lot of fun, getting that rush of flow going and losing yourself in it.

But there are a number of negative aspects that I don't think many people are fully aware of. Sure most people know one or two but probably don't realize they may be suffering from other side effects of the industry that they aren't aware of.

I have experienced burn out twice in my career after working for 5 years in one job or another and I know it's a pretty common thing in IT. Just yesterday one of my colleagues was telling me about a friend of theirs who was a brilliant developer but got so burnt out he quite and now he works as an attendant in a parking garage.

Everything in life has a positive side and a negative side and while it probably isn't a good idea to dwell endlessly on the negative it is very beneficial to be aware of it and develop strategies to overcome it.

So lets go through the negative aspects of working in IT and look at some ways of overcoming them:

Mental exhaustion - Due to the intense nature of IT work it involves a lot of deep thinking, learning new concepts and hours of intense concentration. This can quickly use up our mental reserves and leave us feeling drained and brain dead at the end of the day. Especially when we are doing a lot of overtime. This in itself isn't so much of an issue but it often leads to other problems for example feeling too drained to exercise or cook a proper meal at the end of the day or do any productive things that can be done in the evening, like socialize and actually live your life!

The best way to deal with this is to work less or take a nap after your work day is over. Don't do constant overtime! Be aware of your mental energy and you will get good at not overworking yourself, there is nothing wrong with taking a break just put up a page of code and pretend you are thinking about it while you listen to some music or something. Pace yourself. I catch a 1 hour train to and from work so generally I deal with this by having a nap on the way home then I begin my evening with lots of mental energy!

Bad health - Humans aren't designed to sit at a desk for most of their life, we were designed to be active and doing things to survive. When working in IT we need to find some time to do some exercise and eat decent food. Beware the trap of too much caffeine and sugar to compensate for mental fatigue and poor health.

You don't need to go to the gym or join a sports team, though these are also good things, but it's important to find something physical that you enjoy and can do regularly. Try different things, personally I do a 10-15 minute exercise routine every morning involving things I can do anywhere like squats, star jumps, crunches and push-ups. Then I like to do something outside once or twice a week, squash, long walks, swimming, riding a bicycle.

The computer is not your friend - No matter how much IT guys fantasize about a sexy female AI we have to face the truth that these don't exist yet. Do female IT workers fantasize about male AIs? I'd love to know the answer to that one!

The fact is working at the computer means we miss out on the social aspect that most other jobs require so if we aren't careful we end up getting very rusty in our social skills which translates to fewer and fewer friends and eventually to lonely unhappiness. This often happens over a longer period of time, so it can be easy not to notice it, until one day you wind up at some party and realise you are struggling to relate to anyone!

Obviously the best way to overcome this is keep an eye on your social life, make sure you get out and meet people. Go to a social event at least once a week!

Life draining - There will always be another urgent system that needs to be built yesterday, don't let companies take over your life. Its easy to lose sight of your bigger life goals when you spend all your days putting all your energy into someone else's code. I live in Australia where we get 4 weeks holiday, this isn't ever enough, here overtime is a social norm so with over time and 48 weeks worth of work those 4 weeks are mostly used to recover, catch up with family, and deal with other real life emergencies that come up like weddings and funerals. We need to live our own lives outside work, follow our own passions, develop ourselves, learn new things, travel and spend time with those we care about. I learnt this lesson the hard way after developing stress related depression. Work does not equal life.

My solution to this is to take big breaks. IT pays fairly well so save up some money, tell your boss you plan on taking 3-6 months off every couple of years. Give them lots of warning. Save a little extra in case they decide to fire you and you need to find a new position when you get back and take back some of your own life. This solution only works if you don't live at the edge of your means, don't get a mortgage you can barely afford to pay off, don't live a hugely expensive life style. Time is worth more than things so buy some of it back off your work. Other options might be working 4 days a week or moving to France where they are only permitted to work 35 hours a week.

Stress - likewise we can get a lot of stress which can come from a lot of areas, deadlines (usually artificial), unrealistic expectations, unclear specifications, even lack of work can be stressful.

I've found the best way to deal with stress is to expect some level, remember IT isn't easy and is a highly important component of many business that they don't fully understand so they are likely to be fearful and stressed and put that stress on you as the expert. Don't buy it. Be really clear on what you can do and how long you think it will take. Raise any issues as soon as you are aware of them. Let people know if you are stuck on something. The main thing is to make sure you assess your own performance and use your own judgment over that of your bosses or co-workers. You are the best judge of how much effort you are putting in not them.

I would love to hear how other people deal with these issues and any other issues you think I may have missed!