iamacp.com – I Am A Computer Programmer
All about the daily work issues of a Java/J2EE Computer Programmer

If you’ve ever thought about our place in the universe and where we fit you’re going to love this paper. Nick Bostrom a professor at Oxford University has a theory that we are living in a game of The Sims on a grand scale. We are the program and the gods are the players.

Being a computer programmer as well as having a interest in the Universe this is something I can relate to and understand. I think this is very plausible theory although it may be a bit more complicated then we will ever be able to understand.

For those of you are interest in read the article Are You Living In A Computer Simulation it’s a good read.

Dealing with stress as a computer programmer is one of the most challenging aspects of the job. I’ve come to terms that issues seem to occur almost out of nowhere on the job.  There are a few ways at work and out of work that I tend to deal with stress.

What I Do To Relieve Stress

• Listen To Music - I tend to listen to allot of music at work and home.  Music relaxes me and calms me down and keeps me in a better mood. It also helps me to block out external distractions so I can better focus on my work.

• Play Computer/Video Games - There’s nothing like coming home and playing a relaxing stress releasing video or computer game.  Lately in the past several months I rediscovered my old passion of gaming. I grew up playing games like Street Fighter 2 and the Mortal Kombat games. Last week I picked up the new Mortal Kombat game for the Playstation 3. I find fighting games to been a great stress release.

• Give The Problem Time – There’s nothing like waiting on a problem. With time new solutions come to light and alternative solutions may come to you. This may or may not be possible depending on the issue but follow the golden rule of persistence prevails and be positive and things will look up.

These are just some of the ways I deal with stress on and off the job.