I found this article on the net, about why a programming career sucks. I didn't really agree with all he said anyways.
So to fellow coders out there, read this link and lets hear what you have to say about it.
I think the dude was kind of frustrated though,

http://www.halfsigma.com/2007/03/why_a_career_in.html

Intriguing article. It argues that computer programming sucks because of the following reasons:
- Temporary nature of knowledge capital: you always have to learn new things to remain competitive.
- The low prestige of a career in computer programming.
- The foreignization of computer programming (this point actually favors people in delevoping coutries)
- Project management sucks too: even when you are promoted, it still doesn't get better.
- The working conditions suck: I don't know, but I think air-conditioned server/coding rooms are pretty ok!

computer programming "sucking", to me, is all relative. Where do you live? What kind of "computer programming" are you doing? How many years of experience do you have? Are you working for a .com (where you work 100 hours a day) or an established company with set procedures? Are you into computer programming cos you actually love it or cos in a place where unemployment is high, you figure it is the fastest way to quick money?

I could ask many more, but I think the above should suffice. This is y i say, at least as a web developer, you shouldn't sell yourself short. If you are everything from design, to business logic to front end work to database design, promise to deliver it all in 1 week or less and charging N50,000, then of course computer programming would suck. On the other hand, if you planned your life such that, say, you did only 12 sites a year and charged at least N100,000 for it and did it over the course of 3 weeks, where you actually had time to plan out your strategy, to me, it would be enjoyable.

'hope this helps.

yea,
nice article, if u read the comments on d article, most pple disagreed with him, my2cents said it all , greatest of all, i think a career in programmin could be compared to football in a couple of ways (apart 4rm d spinnin $$$$ sha) ,

I agree with 2 cents, you gotta be able to plan your strategy well, instead of just doin rubbish.
Im sure the dude was frustrated, I think he was using just vb6 so i wonder,

To be honest guys, personally I’m sick of this career path I choose, being a computer programmer. A couple of years ago it use to be all I was interested  in, through university to employment, I just loved working from one project to another, learning new stuff, showing off stuff I’ve done. But a couple of months ago I woke up one morning, and I just got sick of all this crap.

I’m sick of always staying up till 2am in the morning trying to find some stupid bug, I’m sick of always having to learn new stuff for work(we need you to learn how to do this Andréa,  we need you to learn how to write this Andréa, we need to switch to this technology, Andréa), I’m sick of deadlines (na beans, my boss, should come code some of these himself), I’m sick of dumb users who don’t know nothing, I’m sick of always sitting in from of da computer(started using glass last year) & I’m sick of always sitting down anyway,  I’m sick of never having time for myself, I’m sick of never having time for my BF,  I’m sick of my shitty pay, I’m sick of my shitty life. All thanks to me being a programmer, I just don’t think I’m cut out for this life anymore, just don’t know where all my passion for this went to.

Sometime I just want to quit and do something else, BUT WHAT? This is the only stuff I know, I’m stuck with this.  Told my mum she say a need a long break, like 3-4 month, but will need to look for a new job if I try that.
So, all of ya’all having fun doing this now pray you don’t end up like me. I know I’m going to quit this, just want to figure out what career I want do.
Well that’s that.

andre5. Looks like you've had it! How long have you been developing, and in what language do you develop mostly. Would an increase in compensation make it any better for you?

Actually, the idea of learning new stuff is one of the things I really like about app. development. Yes! programming can suck if you happen to be doing something not so interesting. Like others said, one really has to love it to be able to succeed at it. You have to be a problem solver and like to be challenged. I have been doing this for 14 years(half of those as a consultant). Did not go into it for the money, when I started it was not really a high paying job. Never even though I would make half of what I am making now. To top it off, I love what I am doing.

Thanks, sbucareer and Bossman.
I will take a good look at you advice.

If u think you suck at programming, your career at programming will suck.

If u are a great programmer/coder, then u should have a great career. Your success in programming/coding depends on your expertise. Google coders, Microsoft coders, and top software vendor coders would you say their careers suck. if u are a small time coder or programmer then u may think your career sucks. but if u can get to the top level. it wont suck.

Its all about what u think and how to react.
FYI programmers/coders = 2 different things but people general call coders programmers lol bs

andre5: yes, you need a break. I don't think the problem is with your career per se. You're just burned out.
This happens to me from time to time even though I'm just a webmaster, but I always regain my enthusiasm.

http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/mod/journal/journal.asp?jn=345337&reply_id=2460549

A comparison of two programming jobs. One sucks, the other was hard but rewarding.

My story is not too different from Andre5, only I got to work with enterprise companies in the early 1990 as a security consultant(which meant you had to help the in-house coders find errors in their TCP stack sequences to prove that it was not the fault of the firewalls that their web streams were failing). That is when I fell in love with programming, since what I did in the labs at University of Abuja could ever be called programming, more like knocking code together and seeing if I could get the lab assistant to pull some hair out.

I have since had to learn several compiled and interpreted languages, applications, protocols, suites, databases and "What_have_yous" and I know I will have to learn even more as the new "it" comes along. I get excited about "it", pore through "it's" manuals, create a development environment to match "it's" requirement, get "it" to work, modify "it", and then go to "it's" support forum to assist those who have not solved "it".

Recently though I notice I am less inclined to reformat a server in order to get a new software to work, or at my Job where we host a lot of cutting edge websites using bleeding edge technologies, lots of which are OpenSource such as the red5 flash server at osflash.org/red5 or some other new fangled commercial application with unstable integration to service structures such as Apache or Sendmail, I am inclined to do "more research" than just "jumping in" to it.

I still get a lot of kicks out of new technologies, but I do pour libations to the volumes of manuals I have perused, whose applications I will only remember someday when I visit the halls of The SmithSonian, that will be devoted to "Forgotten versions of Operating Systems, applications, protocols, databases, utilities and software suites"

andre5:

To be honest guys, personally I’m sick of this career path I choose, being a computer programmer. A couple of years ago it use to be all I was interested  in, through university to employment, I just loved working from one project to another, learning new stuff, showing off stuff I’ve done. But a couple of months ago I woke up one morning, and I just got sick of all this crap.

I’m sick of always staying up till 2am in the morning trying to find some stupid bug, I’m sick of always having to learn new stuff for work(we need you to learn how to do this Andréa,  we need you to learn how to write this Andréa, we need to switch to this technology, Andréa), I’m sick of deadlines (na beans, my boss, should come code some of these himself), I’m sick of dumb users who don’t know nothing, I’m sick of always sitting in from of da computer(started using glass last year) & I’m sick of always sitting down anyway,  I’m sick of never having time for myself, I’m sick of never having time for my BF,  I’m sick of my shitty pay, I’m sick of my shitty life. All thanks to me being a programmer, I just don’t think I’m cut out for this life anymore, just don’t know where all my passion for this went to.

Sometime I just want to quit and do something else, BUT WHAT? This is the only stuff I know, I’m stuck with this.  Told my mum she say a need a long break, like 3-4 month, but will need to look for a new job if I try that.
So, all of ya’all having fun doing this now pray you don’t end up like me. I know I’m going to quit this, just want to figure out what career I want do.
Well that’s that.

To be honest, andre5, I really, really know where you are coming from.

But do you know what? Crappy conditions don't mean you should give up what you're good at.

Consider this: programming has such a low barrier to entry- no need to get a fancy degree, etc, all the literature is out there for anyone to read, technology changes so fast that old people cant sit back and claim to be gurus just based on experience,

YET there is still a shortage of programmers. What that tells you is that if you are good at programming, you have a valuable talent that you must not let die.

After working for God knows how long, battling with issus your superiors can not even begin to grasp or comprehend, struggling with idiotic users whose requirements change at the drop of a hat, working late, weekends, watching your eyesight fail, your health fail, theres no blaming anyone for getting fed up or burned out. The lucky peeps in jand or yankee just quit their jobs and go on breaks, knowing that they will never want for work. At ;least thats what my friends do.

However here, we just have to improvise. There are some things you can do, but I wont say them out here on NL. Hit me up on messenger with an offline message or two and I'll get across to you on that.

The life of a coder is hard, but rewarding, and doesn't have to lead to burnout.

andrea5,

2 things, and I say these based on my personal experiences. either:

1) You need a new challenge (aka new job, regardless of pay or benefits)

2) you went into programming, not really because you loved it but because it was the in-thing at the time and you heard there was a lot of money to be made and you decided to go for it.

As I said earlier, I have been under both conditions:

(1) i worked at a place for 2 years where based on the work done, I said to myself, "one day, I could be laid off (retrenched) and when going to look for another job, I would have no marketable skills because what I am doing is so basic". The pay was good but the job wasn't challenging enough.

(2) I studied Agric Econs at Unical before "Crossing over". I wanted to continue with that or Business Admin upon arrival. My uncle advised me to go into software engineering as it was the latest thing (he was telling me the truth: it was the beginning of the .com era). I started coding in 1999. I make good money, the benefits are good, but to tell you the truth, I am beyond burnt out - I am not that motivated anymore, most of the code I write is based on copy-and-paste from libraries of code I have written in the past and I dread the fact that I could wake up one day and I am 60 but yet still am a code monkey. Perhaps I am ready to move on to being either a manager or an architect. Or maybe this is my own version of mid-life crisis.

There was a time when I used to stay up for 3 days straight, bumping to my favorite rapper, while cranking out code. I wouldn't see daylight for days. Just me and my co-workers cranking out code. Those days have loooooong gone. It's all about me now and not my employer. I come first in everything I do now. Once your employer gets what they want from you, they will suck you like an orange, toss you on the roadside and get either a younger coder or one from India or China who can do more for less. Nope folks, I am not bitter but speaking reality here.

So I feel you andrea5. All I gotta say is, if the opportunity presents itself, jump ship to another company. Remember, it isn't always about the money. You could make N1million naira a month and not be happy with your job. I say this again from personal experience. If after you stay at the new employers for about 2 years, you still feel the same way, then it is time to change career. Coding isn't everything. It is just a means to an end with respect to putting food on your table.

For those who may be waiting to jump on me with the question, "Hey my2cents, why not practice what you preach?", believe me, I am working on it

Well! It has been said that "Too much of everything is bad". And this is the case in almost everything and not programming only. Bankers, government workers and those in other careers encounter this when they tend to over work themselves and i tink this is the case with 'andre5'.
Take programming as a hobby!
Something you enjoy doing!
Not something you will do 20hrs of your 24hrs!
The most interesting thing i like about programming is that i am being paid for what i like doin most!