who here actuallyl enjoys working in IT? and what are your hobbies?

Ill start of the thread by saying that I dont enjoy working in IT. I love technology and I am a creative person but this level of IT that im in has caused me to develop a great level of disdain for IT. I do however enjoy when it's time to get off work and go work on some music, edit some footage on final cut pro x and photography. How about you guys.. Do your hobbies keep you sane..

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demonfurbie

my non tech related hobbys are backpacking and running after kids as a scout master

Dakinggamer87

I enjoy working in IT learning new skills very often and for hobbies primarily gaming, working out, going to the movies, and driving around with my car.

bub9001

Wondered around for 10 years working in all types of Engineering jobs. Kept listening to TWIT and PodNutz when traveling. Always enjoyed working on Electronics but with Board swapping now days there isn't a lot of need for pure Electronics techs. Was downsized back a few years ago, and was blessed to get my foot in the door as a Domain Admin for a small company. The rest is history, loving every day I get to deal with IT.

antielvis

I've worked in IT since the 90s and, for the most part, I like the career. I like that it's dynamic & is ever changing which is good..because I actually like studying & learning (20+ certifications). I've discovered that usually when I dislike a time in life it's due to who I worked for, not my career. I tire easily of corporate politics, gossip & powerplay behaviour so I made it a point to stay away from management positions. I am less enthusiastic about anything "end user".

I live with easy access to the mountains/ocean so I like to get off the grid. I also like to study languages & generally find anything interesting (sans gossip TV or other such crap). Also like cooking and strongly into fitness. If I can give you any advice...find fitness. This job WILL kill you.

MrAgent

Ive been doing IT since 96. In general I do enjoy it. In my spare time I play hockey and spend time with my family.

nel

I enjoy working in IT. It can genuinely be a very challenging and rewarding role. However, you have to be in the right role. I have found my career to be very much a rollercoaster. Some roles i have loved but the majority have been awful, unsatisfying and have also made me very unhappy. So when you get a good opportunity, grab it with both hands

Anonymouse

I love IT. I get paid to learn, play with technology, solve problems, and interact with people all day. It really helps to have a great work environment with a badass team. I'd probably be asking you guys if you want paper or plastic if not for IT.

As for hobbies:
- cycling (90% MTB, 10% cruising around town)
- cars
- anime/manga
- videogames

Something I've noticed over the years about IT guy hobbies is that a lot of older guys are into some form of cycling and younger guys are nerdy gamers. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just a regional thing for me?

gc8dc95

I love IT as well. I do agree with above, that most younger guys are gamers, which makes me the exception I suppose.

Non-IT hobbies:
Cars
Drag Racing
House Remodeling

gunbunnysoulja

I love IT, and I love my job. I work at home, and most of my work is project based. I'm a reach-back guy, so any issues the company has, I research/troubleshoot/test to figure it out. I get to work on awesome projects, and have previously led Enterprise NAS solutions (NetApp), Site wide MF printer contracts, Executive conference room AV remodel, may be leading a Citrix Xen install... I also get to deal with Exchange/VPN issues, Web and App Dev, Technical Writing, SharePoint issues, testing software to implement on the DoD side (Certificate of Networthiness approval), and lots of other fun/exciting things. I wouldn't want to be a password ninja, as I'm too ambitious for that. Plus I'm only 3 years into IT, so it's been very fun. I'd say my best assets are my resourcefulness and customer service.

I also love helping others, so I do lots of side work. I know many dread telling people you work in IT because they may expect you to fix their computer, but I still get gratification and satisfaction from helping others. Especially family members.

I spent lots of free time doing more IT related stuff, but I'm also into mountain biking, roller blading, and watching tv/movies with my wife.

antielvis

Anonymouse wrote: »

Something I've noticed over the years about IT guy hobbies is that a lot of older guys are into some form of cycling and younger guys are nerdy gamers. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just a regional thing for me?

I'm now in my 40s and I think your statement is accurate. It could be because as you age you pay more attention to your health as you get older. And maybe after spending 15 years in front of a monitor, you just need to get into the real world too. I do bike (mountain bike) but I also love to go jogging and I weightlift. It's very easy to get consumed by the unhealthy IT lifestyle (smoking, drinking, fast food, sitting on your a$$).

Anonymouse

antielvis wrote: »

I'm now in my 40s and I think your statement is accurate. It could be because as you age you pay more attention to your health as you get older. And maybe after spending 15 years in front of a monitor, you just need to get into the real world too. I do bike (mountain bike) but I also love to go jogging and I weightlift. It's very easy to get consumed by the unhealthy IT lifestyle (smoking, drinking, fast food, sitting on your a$$).

Yeah I gave up smoking and eat fast food only when in a rush which is very rare. I took up cycling for health reasons too. Then I discovered mountain biking and it turned into more of a fun hobby than just plain old exercise. If my young knees didn't feel so old I'd go jog too. I save weight lifting for winter when I can't ride as much.

dasmoothride

IT is my passion and being in the IT industry is a blessing - I love my job in short. As for my hobbies, I collect gadgets, play videogames and basketball.

rsutton

I've been working in IT since '98 and I love it now more than ever. My hobbies include: motorcycles, whiskey, exercise, snowboarding, RC cars, brewing beer, drinking beer & learning about customer service best practices.

Cerebro

I do enjoy it, because you can't bs with this stuff like you can in other jobs, like HR for example. You have to put the hard work and time in, or you'll get found out. I'm generally studying in my spare time, ICND2 and 70-680. I'm a huge mma fan, so I'm checking out recent fights. Watching movies, or going to the gym-im trying to shift some weight.

kiki162

I like it, but I think that my job has its pluses and minuses like any other job. I wish I could get my hands into a little bit of everything. But I enjoy doing other things to keep me sane. Running, working out, playing with the now 1 yr old, and making time for the hubby fill my extra time. But when I'm at work and there's downtime, I'll study for the next cert, or working on learning different things. For example, I'm going through a SCCM 2012 book right now, since my job doesn't have it...and it's nice to have some experience with it. I have several virtual environments at work that I can play with freely.

kohr-ah

I have to say I like working in IT in general but am not the most fond of my current position but it isn't because my position but because the way a lot of the coworkers I have to work with treat me because I got the position. For the most part I am self training (which I am used to) but I will learn in time

Hobbies are spending most my time with the Mrs and the Wee one. I like draw, don't game much (Mostly play Monster Hunter, that is about it, and only really when I cant sleep), and sprucing up the home. In spare time I run a book and paper RPG group one day a week.

W Stewart

I do think it's good to have a hobby outside of IT to keep you from getting burnt out. I wouldn't say I've been getting tired of my job but I've definitely taken somewhat of a break from IT forums and school lately and have been learning a lot about nutrition and exercise during my free time. It's been pretty beneficial and now I take fruits and vegetables with me to work rather than junk food but I still like to eat snacks from time to time. I'd say right about now I'm ready to get back to reading and posting on IT forums again.

ch1vas

Received my degree in computer science back in 2000. Then got comfortable and lazzy and spent the next 12 years in Systems/Support. Which was and still is good paid (luck me, I started with a high salary in 2000 and was able to increase it over the years). But now I finally discovered where I want to go... network security. I enjoy networking so much and am currently studying for my CCNA.

Hobbies....scuba diving, gym, enjoy sunny days at the beach or in the woods and I'm contemplating about picking up miniature painting. I'm hesitating with that because I fear it will be addicting