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Can People Really Program 80+ Hours a Week?

Posted by Cliff on from the working-yourself-into-an-early-grave dept.

ibn_khaldun asks: "A question in light of the EA controversy. I'm an academic researcher who does his own programming -- I have to eat what I kill. In my 35 years of coding experience, any time I try to work on a complex program for more than, say, 60 hours a week (coding, not just showing up) for a couple weeks at a time, I'm just asking for trouble: I generate buggy code and debugging it only makes it buggier. Numerous studies in other fields (law firms, hospitals) have shown that mistakes rise exponentially after anyone works about 50 hours per week (don't think about this if you go to the emergency room at 3 a.m.)." Are these rational working conditions? (More below.) "Does EA sprinkle magic pixie dust on their serfs to get around this problem, or is the work so trivial that it can be done while pathologically sleep deprived, or are the PHB's so technically challenged they don't realize what is going on? This whole 'death march' mentality seems absolutely crazy to me as a programmer, but appears to be common. Honestly, can someone enlighten me as to how these 80+ hour weeks ever accomplish anything?"

4 of 741 comments (clear)

  1. Re:pixie dust... by VirtualUK · · Score: 0, Troll

    Whatever....lighten up fer f***'s sake. Coke is just evolution's way of saying you're too rich and too stupid. Good ridance to bad junk if you ask me.

  2. Re:Well, it can be done. But can it be done well? by zeux · · Score: 0, Troll

    You can work 80 hours in a week, but I agree that you would find that 80 hours of work done in one week will be much less effective than 80 hours of week done in 2 weeks.

    This is very true. In all areas.

    For example, in France we work 35 hours a week, have 6 weeks of paid vacation a year and still we are the most productive people in the world.

    Work is not a matter of time, it's a matter of efficacity.

    --
    Iraq: war to save the U
  3. Re:Don't you remember the anti-drug commercial? by DogDude · · Score: 0, Troll

    I do more coke so I can work more hours so I can make more money so I can do more coke.

    And what's wrong with that, exactly...?

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  4. Re:I know a few people who've died through overwor by Sprotch · · Score: 0, Troll

    Although I would agree with the overall message that comes through your post, it's obviously strongly "romanced." That's your style apparently, as shown by the discrepancy between the title and actual content of your thread. You would have far more impact if you told the truth.