Computer related Job, confined to a life infront of a screen?

dontstop

Had a curious thought shoot through my mind, Does working in I.T. mean your doomed to a life in front of the screen?

How long per day are you sitting down?
Do you take lots of short breaks?
Do you get much exercise/take longer breaks?
Are there any days which you don't use the computer for a majority of it?
- if so, what role?

Thanks,
dS.

Find more posts tagged with

SAVE $250 on Your Boot Camp — Use Code "EXAM26"

Exclusively for TechExams members for Infosec Boot Camps starting before April 30, 2026

View Boot Camps

Comments

Cisco Inferno

By computer related, you mean every job in an office right?

DigitalZeroOne

dontstop wrote: »

Had a curious thought shoot through my mind, Does working in I.T. mean your doomed to a life in front of the screen?
How long per day are you sitting down?

Do you take lots of short breaks?

Do you get much exercise/take longer breaks?

Are there any days which you don't use the computer for a majority of it?

- if so, what role?

Thanks,
dS.

Doomed? I'm thankful that I work in front of a computer screen all day. As for breaks and things like that, I think that really depends on the job level and company. I worked helpdesk at one point, and I was somewhat confined to set lunches and the two 15 minute breaks. Now, I can technically get up at any moment and walk away, and I can take lunch when I want.

Every now and then I need to break away from technology, and I usually go on vacation, but I find that I'm always anxious to get back to "the screen". If you're thinking that working in front of a screen all day will doom you, you may want to evaluate your passion for computers.

ptilsen

Lots of IT jobs involve installing equipment on-site. My last two jobs had plenty of installations of switches, routers, firewalls, servers, storage, and related equipment, alongside the requisite travel to sites and talking to people.

Personally, I prefer a desk job for the most part. But for those who don't, there are definitely options.

bdub

I must say I never thought I would be living my life inside a cubicle, staring at monitors all day. But, it beats the other types of work I've done in most ways and so I'm thankful for my job. Though if I were young again and could do it all over knowing what I know now, I definitely would have made some other choices career wise.

As for breaks, in the summer I usually try to get a 15-30min walk in each day while at work. At home I unfortunately end up sitting a lot as well because of studying. On the weekends though I am not sitting much, usually I am out and about with the family and doing chores around the house.

pamccabe

If you are going to work hard, then play hard. Make sure you have some moderation and spend some time doing something you enjoy. I work in IT, and am a full-time Networking student, oh and I'm busting my you know what to pass my CCENT exam that I have in a week. No matter what, I take time out of the day to get some fresh air, or hit the fitness center. During those times, I turn off my networking podcasts and put something on that I enjoy. Everything in moderation. Sure, you can say as an IT employee you are 'doomed' to be in front of a monitor, but I think that is having a case of 'grass is always greener'. Before IT, I worked as a CNA at a hospital. I cleaned wounds, changed diapers of patients, and cleaned up bathroom messes. Compared to a lot of other professions, being in front of a monitor isn't all that bad.

chrisone

Some IT related jobs/careers that come to mind where you arent always at the desk is cabling (fiber and copper) and Wireless installations (site surveys, AP installations).

Hope this helps

Akaricloud

There are always technical sales or consultant engineering positions that allow you to interface with customers, do some traveling and stay quite active.

cw3k

I work as support and work at home, and yes, I basically glue to the desk at all time. But since I work at home, I do get the freedom to other things, like watching a movie.

RouteMyPacket

If you are looking for a job that keeps you active and moving around most of your day. Rethink your career goals. lol

Any solid Sys Admin and or Network Engineer will have his/her environment configured for remote management. If anything you will get to the point you bark and moan because you have to go to the data center to look at something. haha