Computer Programming is an unhealthy career

In this weeks Embedded Systems Design columnist Jack Ganssle writes about how Programmers are people, too.

...[T]here are persistent complaints that never seem to go away. The first of these is overtime; the 40-hour work week is but a dream to many, and panicked overtime is de rigueur at many outfits in the last few months of a project. Absenteeism is twice the national average at companies that routinely resort to long weeks. Stress leads to sickness, and even people shackled to the desk need free time to get all of the routine activities of life done.

There is an even more disturbing article on the health consequences of being a programmer: Health Hazards for IT Workers: How Your Desk Wears You Down: Too much junk food, too little exercise and a 24/7 tether to technology? Your body ain't happy, friend. Let us count the pains.

..long days, heavy workload, poor eating, lack of exercise and cruddy posture add up to a pretty stressful work environment. ... Keep it up another ten years, and you could be looking at a host of ailments, from nagging aches and pains on up through serious, life-threatening conditions, according to a host of medical experts we spoke with. ... The combination of a sedentary workday and poor eating habits can lead first and foremost to obesity, which can put your heart at risk and lead to a litany of other diseases.

Why are you still reading this blog after reading that? Get up and go exercise!