After two and a half decades working in IT, I can tell you there is a definite cultural bias against sleep.
Whether we’re talking about physical sleep or metaphorical sleep, being in IT often means being awake longer, or at times that put us out of sync from the our peers, family, and friends.
But it’s not enough to simply be awake – meaning to not be sleeping. Working a 24 hour cut over, or being on an emergency call because a major system is down, or realizing that security has been compromised: all of those things do not require merely being not-asleep. It requires being sharp, aware, actively involved in the situation.
In I.T., awakening is more than just opening up the store because it’s “time to make the donuts”.
Which is why it’s all the more important that the work we do excites us, engages our intellect, inspires us to work our hardest.
If the work we do doesn’t awaken our passion, then it’s likely we’ll be asleep at the wheel when there is real work to be done.