CNN - Tech careers mean long hours and cold dinners

[Rachel Polanskis]

Here's something interesting dredged up by one of my friends at work....



http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9810/16/techslave.idg/

Tech careers mean long hours and cold dinners 

October 16,1998
by Julia King 

Dick Colebank's wife gave up years ago on the idea of cooking and eating
dinner with her husband.

"She used to make meals for me, and I'd turn up two hours late. That got
old real quick, so we decided to just forget it," said Colebank, who
typically puts in 50 hours per week as assistant vice president of
technical services at Lone Star Life Insurance Co. in Dallas.

Jeff Scherb, senior vice president and chief technology officer at The
Tribune Co., usually is in his Chicago office by 7a.m., after already
having worked 45 minutes or so during his train ride into the city. He
tries to leave work in time to tuck in his three kids at night - on days
when he isn't travelling.

"I don't even have any concept of how many hours a week I work, but it
hasn't been 40 in a long time," Scherb said.

Scherb's long hours are by no means the exception. On average, information
technology professionals work 50 hours per week. Almost half (47%) work an
average of six hours on Saturdays and Sundays, according to a
Computerworld survey of 250 IT professionals.

Seven out of 10 IT professionals have worked while sick. The same number
have bailed out of family affairs and other social activities because of
work.

And 51% of the surveyed IT workers said they "occasionally" miss getting
home for dinner; 28% said "frequently."

...continued... see web...

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9810/16/techslave.idg/