Family Man and Programmer (Score 2)

With a brand new baby I found it nearly impossible to keep up with the demanding schedule of my last job. As is the case in most programming jobs, tight deadlines resulted in many unexpected overtime hours. (ie: can you stay an extra couple of hours?) This unpredictability and lack of compensation for extra time worked added way too much stress to my already busy life. I began searching for another job in the area and eventually landed a unionized programming job with the provincial government. (Ontario) I can honestly say I love my new job! Compensated overtime, a fair salary (48k CDN for 1.5 years experience, PowerBuilder and Java), 3 weeks vacation, training and a large team of experienced (contract employees) programers to work with. I have more time with my family, more take home pay and a slue of benefits. I still work hard, but my level of stress is way down and as a result I'm much happier. As far as I'm concerned, for a family man or woman a unionized IT job is a great option.