Systems programmers maintain the integral software that drives an entire system, improving the way in which the central processing unit handles the peripheral hardware. Systems programmers often work with applications programmers to help them identify and smooth out glitches in a program. The bulk of programmers in the United States work in data processing service organizations that design software, firms that provide engineering and management services, manufacturers of computer and office equipment financial institutions, and government agencies. Programmers work an official forty-hour week, but it is unusual for their business days to end on the dot at five. Some programmers are on 24-hour call for up to a month at a time, and almost all of them work weekends to meet deadlines or come to the rescue in an emergency.
Programmers live in front of their computers, which can have serious consequences for their health.
Long hours spent typing and squinting at a computer screen causes eyestrain, back strain, hand and wrist muscle pain, and the dreaded Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Shop O2 . All Rights Reserved.