Are There Any Fun Tech Jobs Left?

er0ck asks: "My first job out of college was working for an Internet Startup. They gave me some books and told me to learn Perl. Our office was a refurbished factory, with lots of light and open space. Best of all, we could bring our nerf toys in to work (and use them!). Four months later, the company went under. Several dot bomb jobs later, I work for my state government. Is anyone still having fun at their tech job?" I think that with the economic downturn, more companies are concentrating on survival more than being "fun". Are there any "fun" tech jobs left, or have they all suffered from the Economic Darwinism of the early 21st century?

"[Government work is] steady work, but boring at times. (I don't think they'd approve of the Nerf guns). Without the pressure of staying in business, projects sometimes stagnate, leaving us with little to do. During these slow times, I help behind the scenes at NerfCenter.com; It's a fun site, and they are switching to Perl for their admin backend. It keeps my skills sharp, and wards off the boredom.

My questions to the Slashdot community are:

1. Can you have a fun tech job, without the worry of being suddenly unemployed?
2. If you are you forced (as I am) to get your fun on the side what are some good projects to get involved in?
3. What do you to unwind and have a bit of 'fun' in the workplace?"

Comments

Re:What a dumb question

[gimpboy]

if you happen to work with er0ck i would suggest using a real gun. noone here would blame you.

Re:Ever consider...

[Reality Master 101]

Instead of lining the pockets of greedy company owners/CEOs, I work for a non-profit organization which is there to support you, rather than hinder your progress.

Yeah, I hate those greedy company owners/CEOs that actually create jobs and grow the economy, while actually creating the technology that you want to teach about.

If you're looking for something that's not only fun, but honorable, check out your local colleges.

I'm glad this works for you, but I don't see the need to spread hatred and envy of people who choose different career paths.

This is also known as bigotry, no different than the vilest KKK member. But your bigotry is different, right? After all, we all know what "those" people are about.