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Is being a computer scientist stressful?
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7 answers
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Mackador’s Answer
I think it all depends on where you work no matter the profession you're in. There are places with amazing work-life balance and there are places with awful work-life balance. The industry you're in may help when it comes to leaning towards good or bad for example the video game industry is known to be more on the bad side of things. So it's not necessarily the job itself that is stressful but the way the leadership / management treats you and manages the time of their deliveries / products.
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Bruce’s Answer
Hi Alexis - Great question. It absolutely depends on you and the situation.
Never lose yourself to a job, and every good employer should strongly encourage its employees toward a good work/life balance - meaning don't let the job become or overrun your life. Go home each day and be completely done with work. That is ok; in case it is best for you and the company.
I got my CS degree decades ago and have worked in coding, IT, databases & applications, and technical support.
I very consciously and actively pursue a non-stressful life. Some examples:
Ex 1) When I was first out of college and wanted that illusive first job, one interview was going very well with the president of the small but growing company until she talked about 60-70 hour weeks being normal. I brought the conversation back to that (always be your own best advocate) and she confirmed. I asked if I were hired whether I could work more like 40-50 hours per week. She said no. I liked the company and the position and wanted very much to work there, but I ended the interview and politely let her know that I was looking for fewer hours.
Ex 2) I decided years ago that climbing the managerial ladder was not for me. I could be making a lot more $$ now, but I like the tech as my full time daily work. It eases my mind to know I have a job I prefer and am not unhappy every day with the wrong job for me.
Ex 3) I love playing music & singing, but I've always known that I didn't have the ability or ambition to pursue it as full time work. But I play in two bands on weekends and some nights and it brings me lots of joy.
Another thing to work toward as you find not just your first job but your second and third - which might even be transfers within the given company - some jobs have long-term deadlines, and some have nearly immediate due dates or even same day requirements. I'm better with "We need it now" than I am with "Finish it by the month after next". Find out what feels better for you - for the success of the organization and yourself, and for your best happiness.
Best of luck to you!
Never lose yourself to a job, and every good employer should strongly encourage its employees toward a good work/life balance - meaning don't let the job become or overrun your life. Go home each day and be completely done with work. That is ok; in case it is best for you and the company.
I got my CS degree decades ago and have worked in coding, IT, databases & applications, and technical support.
I very consciously and actively pursue a non-stressful life. Some examples:
Ex 1) When I was first out of college and wanted that illusive first job, one interview was going very well with the president of the small but growing company until she talked about 60-70 hour weeks being normal. I brought the conversation back to that (always be your own best advocate) and she confirmed. I asked if I were hired whether I could work more like 40-50 hours per week. She said no. I liked the company and the position and wanted very much to work there, but I ended the interview and politely let her know that I was looking for fewer hours.
Ex 2) I decided years ago that climbing the managerial ladder was not for me. I could be making a lot more $$ now, but I like the tech as my full time daily work. It eases my mind to know I have a job I prefer and am not unhappy every day with the wrong job for me.
Ex 3) I love playing music & singing, but I've always known that I didn't have the ability or ambition to pursue it as full time work. But I play in two bands on weekends and some nights and it brings me lots of joy.
Another thing to work toward as you find not just your first job but your second and third - which might even be transfers within the given company - some jobs have long-term deadlines, and some have nearly immediate due dates or even same day requirements. I'm better with "We need it now" than I am with "Finish it by the month after next". Find out what feels better for you - for the success of the organization and yourself, and for your best happiness.
Best of luck to you!
Updated
Greg’s Answer
Hi Alexis,
In the corporate and nonprofit sector it depends on the leadership of the organisation you join. Generally speaking, yes it can be stressful. Common stressors are suboptimal processes, company politics, and gaps in diversity, inclusion, competency, and/or behaviour.
Good leadership cares about people's wellbeing -- when choosing a company/team, I highly recommend finding people who already work there and asking them informally what's it like to work there, and trusting your instincts. There's always some stress but in better teams it's managed appropriately e.g. by addressing process gaps, providing clarity on expectations, and in general ensuring that the environment is fair and supportive. What's typically on you is to draw fair boundaries, manage your professional network and growth, develop your own approach on handling stress in your life, and in case the job gets too stressful then proactively manage moving to a different team/company.
I hope this helps. I can still recommend software/infrastructure engineering as a career, it can be a lot of fun and the compensation is typically good.
Just make sure you choose a team that feels a good match for you :)
In the corporate and nonprofit sector it depends on the leadership of the organisation you join. Generally speaking, yes it can be stressful. Common stressors are suboptimal processes, company politics, and gaps in diversity, inclusion, competency, and/or behaviour.
Good leadership cares about people's wellbeing -- when choosing a company/team, I highly recommend finding people who already work there and asking them informally what's it like to work there, and trusting your instincts. There's always some stress but in better teams it's managed appropriately e.g. by addressing process gaps, providing clarity on expectations, and in general ensuring that the environment is fair and supportive. What's typically on you is to draw fair boundaries, manage your professional network and growth, develop your own approach on handling stress in your life, and in case the job gets too stressful then proactively manage moving to a different team/company.
I hope this helps. I can still recommend software/infrastructure engineering as a career, it can be a lot of fun and the compensation is typically good.
Just make sure you choose a team that feels a good match for you :)
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Seth’s Answer
Stress at any job comes from different sources and it's no different for computer science. Stress can be self imposed from having high standards for oneself, it can come from peers at work, it can come from bad managers, or being asked to perform tasks you don't feel capable of doing and it can come from not having enough control over how you do your work. Those are a few of the ways that a job might be stressful, but there are others as well.
Some stress can arise due to the nature of the job. There are some computer science jobs that are higher stress than others and there are often parts of a job that might be high stress but that don't last long. I've been called to join a meeting at 2am to try to address a catastrophic failure with limited understanding of what the source of the problem is. That was a high stress situation, but it only lasted a couple of hours.
Your knowledge of yourself and how you deal with different types of stressful situations will be useful for you when you decide what kind of jobs to apply for. You will have the power to seek out, or avoid, jobs that are highly stressful in their nature. As for stress that comes from the other sources I mentioned, you will have to do you best during the interview process to evaluate the company, the hiring manager, and the other people on the team. I once had an interview at a company where there were 50 people in a room all quietly working on their computers. I could sense a high level of tension right off the bat. Use indicators like that to evaluate the place where you are considering working and trust your intuition. Don't accept every job that is offered. Computer scientists are in high demand and with patience you'll find a job that is a good fit for you.
Some stress can arise due to the nature of the job. There are some computer science jobs that are higher stress than others and there are often parts of a job that might be high stress but that don't last long. I've been called to join a meeting at 2am to try to address a catastrophic failure with limited understanding of what the source of the problem is. That was a high stress situation, but it only lasted a couple of hours.
Your knowledge of yourself and how you deal with different types of stressful situations will be useful for you when you decide what kind of jobs to apply for. You will have the power to seek out, or avoid, jobs that are highly stressful in their nature. As for stress that comes from the other sources I mentioned, you will have to do you best during the interview process to evaluate the company, the hiring manager, and the other people on the team. I once had an interview at a company where there were 50 people in a room all quietly working on their computers. I could sense a high level of tension right off the bat. Use indicators like that to evaluate the place where you are considering working and trust your intuition. Don't accept every job that is offered. Computer scientists are in high demand and with patience you'll find a job that is a good fit for you.
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Apoorva’s Answer
Great answers ahead of me!
The one thing I would like to add is that Computer Science jobs can be stressful because the job for the most part can be performed at home - blurring the lines between work and home. Work-life balance can be achieved with supportive management and intentional efforts to separate work from home. On the plus side, being able to work from home is a great advantage (esp in these times in the pandemic).
The one thing I would like to add is that Computer Science jobs can be stressful because the job for the most part can be performed at home - blurring the lines between work and home. Work-life balance can be achieved with supportive management and intentional efforts to separate work from home. On the plus side, being able to work from home is a great advantage (esp in these times in the pandemic).
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Ram’s Answer
There are external factors in any job or field of work, that can be stress inducing and will make it challenging for you to maintain a calm head. The field of computer science is no different. Stress can also come from how you react to a situation, especially the ones which you cannot control the outcome of. Having adequate preparation, proper expectation and accepting things that are not in your control is a healthy approach to manage mental stress. Physical stress as a computer scientist is tied with long on screen hours, posture, lack of physical activity and any tasking cognitive effort from problem solving. Proper exercise/physical activity, diet and making time for your mental well being helps you recharge and better prepares you to handle any stressful work environment.
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Reggie’s Answer
Computer science and many fields can have stressful aspects and this will be an important factor to consider going forward in selecting a career as well as an individual company in your job search. The technology industry is competitive and work life balance is one aspect that can vary across companies. As Apoorva mentioned many of these jobs may allow you to work at home which can intefere with balance in which case it can help to work in co-working spaces or part time in-office if available.