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Are IT Security Professionals Less Happy?
zentanu writes "It's said that if you want to be happy, be a gardener. What about IT security professionals?
Having worked as an IT security consultant for several years, I now wonder if my job has a negative influence on my happiness, because it constantly teaches me to focus on the negative side of life: I always have to think about risks and identify all sorts of things that could go wrong.
As an auditor I search for errors that others have made and haughtily tell them. As a penetration tester I break systems that system engineers and administrators have laboriously built. I assume inside threats and have to be professionally suspicious. The security mindset surely helps me in my job, but is it good for me on the long run? What kind of influence has being an IT security professional had on your general attitude towards life? What helps you stay out of pessimism and cynicism? Is protecting existing things really as good as building new ones?"
"As an auditor I search for errors that others have made and haughtily tell them."
You must be very popular.
The security mindset surely helps me in my job, but is it good for me on the long run?
No.
What kind of influence has being an IT security professional had on your general attitude towards life?
I beat my wife.
What helps you stay out of pessimism and cynicism?
Beer.
Is protecting existing things really as good as building new ones?
No, not really.
Sorry, am I being too negative here?
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
ah: number of happy IT Security Professionals
au: number of unhappy IT Security Professionals
bh: number of happy non-IT-Security Professionals
bu: number of unhappy non-IT-Security Professionals
The answer is yes if au/(au+ah) > bu/(bu+bh)
*sob* Can't post, sobbing. *sob*
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
I've run into people like that, they're the ones who applaud "security theatre" solutions like Vista's UAC, but I wouldn't call them "IT Security Professionals".
Security Theater. Is that anything like Dinner Theater? It sounds fun!
This is Slashdot, so my comments won't be popular here:
Get a wife or a girlfriend and be *her* penetration tester. You might find a new joy in bringing your work home!
The mention of gardening brought to mind section 5 of the alt.sysadmin.recovery FAQ. Well worth a read.
"I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
As an auditor I search for errors that others have made and haughtily tell them.
It's possible InfoSec is not the thing making you unhappy; maybe you're just a dick.
When I was a kid, we only had one Darth.
And neither ever seems to have enough ladybugs to make their lives easier. :-(
Be careful of the root rot!
Either way, itsh time for a top-up. Cheersh!
Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
I used to be constantly unhappy on my job until I found a way to vent. Typically I randomly reset someone's passwords, shutdown a server for no reason, or throttle down the internet bandwidth. When asked what going on I just blame a Microsoft patch. Trust me this is much better way to get the anger out than trying to horsewhip a user (I tried it, wouldn't recommend it)
More seriously, if the job is getting you down look to change the environment. If another job isn't possible look to transfer to at least another position in the company. Never do something that makes you miserable.
The world isn't run by weapons anymore, or energy, or money. It's run by little ones and zeroes, little bits of data.
Yes, you are. I suggest smoking more weed and drinking less beer^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H. It helps.
You're absolutely correct sir!
You see, one of the side effects of weed is paranoia. And I can't think of anything better than increasing paranoia in a security professional.
Weed for IT security folks should be a job requirement - paid for by the company!
Sysadmins also exert themselves physically on a regular basis and are not fat.
the burger analogy sucks. the farmer one is much better. In essence, that was a bad post you made, and I felt the need to let you know. So now you know, and knowing is half the battle. We all make mistakes, so cheer up, it isn't the end of the world.