One should consider the balance of work and play when looking to choose a career. Picking a career based only on the income potential can lead to less play time. It would be better to pick a career one would enjoy. When one enjoys their career, the tendency to do better will be greater. The better one does at their career it is more likely their income will be greater. Making more money allows one to spend more time and money on fun things. Computer programmers have a good balance between work and play.
What Computer Programmers do
To understand the ratio of work and play for computer programmers, one must first understand what computer programmers do. Computer programmers are sometimes the unsung workers behind the scenes. A computer programmer wrote the software that is inside a car’s computer. Microwaves and cash registers also use software written by computer programmers. Computer programmers wrote the software that is used inside almost all the electronic devices we use today. Computer programmers are also the ones who wrote the software that helps to forecast the weather. Even the space shuttle missions would not happen without software.
Completing Important Tasks
Computer programmers work on important issues and this brings them greater satisfaction. The year 2000 bug was a good example. The problems that were predicted did not happen. Since no major problems occurred, many people assumed that the problem was overrated. However, it was due to many programmers that the problems were averted. I helped with the preparedness for the year 2000 bug at American Airlines. We set up a command center. The software I helped write turned on a dot green for each airport on a global map of the before a plane could fly in or out. It was great that everything went over without a problem. The computer programmers who helped write the code and made it a success gained a great feeling of accomplishment.
Feeling Satisfied
Solving major computer problems allow a computer programmer to feel good about having a job well done. Life is more enjoyable when helping others. Computer programmers wrote the software that prints paychecks. Software written by computer programmers help catch criminals. Like in movies computer programmers actually get to solve problems ; however , they are real and not fiction. This can make them feel as if they are in a movie.
A computer programmer’s work environment increases the enjoyment of their career. Computer programmers normally work in an office environment. They spend their days either at a desk or in team meetings. Telecommuting has also become popular for computer programmers, allowing them to work from home or other remote places. The increased personal time due to being able to work from home makes for a more enjoyable career. Since there is no commute, working from home allows more time for play.
Advancement of Career
Computer programmers can improve their career by continuing their education. The advancement in their career provides more enjoyment in their lives. Computer programmers can advance to become a project manager. Computer programmers work with software that is different from a project manager. Project managers have to work with people who can be unpredictable. Computer software and hardware are predictable. Software works the way it is written and when it does not work it is due to a bug in the system. There are many career advancement opportunities for computer programmers. They can learn different programming languages. They can advance to team lead. In addition, they can become a project manager. Most companies offer training every year for computer programmers. Training allows computer programmers more advancement opportunities. Learning new computer programming languages also helps to grow the knowledge of the staff and helps with retention of the employees.
Outlook Good Even in Bad Economy
A computer programmer’s salary allows them to enjoy play after work. Computer programmer’s salary is growing. According to the National Salary Trend from indeed.com their salary is 14% higher than in other careers (Indeed, n.d.). According to the National Salary Data found on Payscale.com (Payscale, 2011), most computer programmers work the first shift. Eighty-nine percent of programmers work 40 hours or less a week according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). This allows programmers to have more time after work to spend playing with their family and friends.
Respect
In the workforce, there is a high level of respect for a computer programmer’s knowledge. The benefit of the respect gives more enjoyment in their work. Programmers work in teams, and their ideas are listened too. The longer a programmer works the more they learn about the different ways to accomplish a task.
To understand how the ratio of computer programmers are well balanced, one should look at other fields. A construction worker can be expected to work longer hours out in the hot sun. Their pay is much lower (Indeed,n.d.). The construction worker’s pay has been on a decline where the computer programmer’s pay has been on the rise. There seems to be plenty of jobs for computer programmers even in a bad economy. Companies need programmers to automate processes so they can have less employees. This can reduce the number of human errors that can occur.
Compare Enjoyment Computer Programmers Vs Database Administrators
The ratio of work and play for computer programmers is much better than database administrators. When choosing a technical career, comparing a database administrator to computer programmer helps to better understand the balance of work and play for computer programmers. Most database administrators are on call twenty-four hours a day and tend to work more than forty hours a week. Whereas, computer programmers tend to work eight hours a day and forty hours a week. This is a reason I choose to not be a database administrator.
When comparing network administrators to computer programmers, the ratio of work and play also is in the favor of the computer programmers. Network administrators are on call twenty-four hours a day. When there are network problems, the network administrator is called in no matter where they are or what they are doing. Computer programmers are not on call twenty-four hours a day. Interrupting family fun time is a reason I did not want to be a network administrator.
Many Career Opportunities
Because computer programmers have many career opportunities this provides for a good balance of work and play. All the software used for gaming consoles are written by computer programmers. Computer programmers also write the software for the mobile phone applications that are so popular today. Since programmers like solving problems, this is an ideal job for them. Not only can they solve problems but create problems to be solved by others. Creating games is like creating problems for others to solve. Computer programmers create games like World of Warcraft, Everquest, and Madden Football. They write programs for the Xbox 360, Wii, Playstation, and many more. Now we even have movies and TV that we can watch due to the computer programmers creating websites like Hulu and Netflix. Even in the movies we watch many of the things we see are created by software.
Sometimes a balance of work and play also occurs in the work place. Most computer programmers like to write games, but they also love to play computer games. When playing games like Doom they can make their own modules for the game. Making modules for a game creates their own version of the game. Some games like Neverwinter Nights were built with the purpose of making modules for them. One can share modules with friends and play together. A sense of pride is brought when programmers get to work and play on a game. Creating modules for games is not the only thing computer programmers like to do. They like to make macros for games like Everquest and World of Warcraft. A macro is where one makes some code that can be connected to a button so when pressed it preforms a series of actions in the game. Like in battle you might want to tell someone you are about to heal them if there are two different people playing as a healer. So your macro would be written to say that you were about the heal someone and then cast the healing spell.
Good Balance
Overall, computer programmers do have a good balance of work and play. Most computer programmers enjoy their work in technology, which often carries over into playing with technological gadgets. It is important to have fun in the work that you do, to avoid getting burned out. Computer programmers also sometimes gain inspiration for new ideas while playing, which can be a great work benefit for them as well.
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics (December 2009.), Computer software engineers and computer programmers (2010-11 Edition) Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos303.htm
Indeed (n.d.), Computer programmer salary Retrieved from http://www.indeed.com/salary/Computer-Programmer.html
Indeed (n.d.), Construction worker salary Retrieved from http://www.indeed.com/salary/Construction-Worker.html
Payscale (May 2011.) Salary snapshot for computer programmer jobs
Retrieved from http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Computer_Programmer/Salary
