Have you heard? Americans hate their jobs more than ever. But from movies to games to Steve Jobs, IT troops can find inspiration even in dark career times. Breaking News: You Hate Your Job!The latest job satisfaction survey by the Corporate Executive Board shows job dissatisfaction at an all-time high over the last 10 years. In 2007, about 12 percent of IT employees said they were “highly engaged” — but that has fallen to 4 percent today. Indeed CIO.com has been following IT workers’ smoldering discontent. They say laughter is the best medicine (although we’d prefer a good paycheck and job security), so here are five ways to keep your chin up. The Big PictureNothing like turning to the best your industry has to offer for inspiration. When writers need a boost, they read great literary works. Graphic designers head to the art museum. So watch the blockbuster movie Avatar — a technical wonder — and remember you run with the cool crowd. All Hail Steve JobsSuper heroes are a great source of inspiration. For techies, this means Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Buy a Steve Jobs plush doll and sit him atop your monitor, then let his fierce gaze ward off any feelings of laziness. Fear can be a great motivator. Nexus TechFeeling feeble? Pick up a Nexus One smartphone and get strong again. This cutting-edge technology will inspire you to do great things. Stealing a line from Roy Batty, the Nexus-6 replicant in Blade Runner, “C’mon, show me what you’re made of.” (More Blade Runner references courtesy of Macworld: “I’ve seen iPhones on fire off the shoulder of Verizon. I’ve watched BlackBerries glitter near the Cingular gate. Time to dial.”) Related: Google Nexus One vs Apple iPhone 3GS Five Predictions for Google’s Nexus One Office Motivation from Office SpaceWe all need daily reminders of how good we actually have it. Hang a framed picture of Samir Nagheenanajar of Office Space on your cubicle wall and recall his inspiring words about having a programmer job: “I should be so lucky!” Release Work Stress with a Submachine GunThere’s something about the smell of napalm in the morning. Work out your aggressions with a Mini-Uzi or sniper rifle — in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, not the other kind. Computer games reduce frustration and celebrate tech. Here are six games that do just that. Call of Duty, in particular, lets you swoop in, kick ass, and finally get some $%#@ respect! Related: Slideshow: The State of IT Jobs: 2010 Slideshow: The Worst U.S. Cities to Work in IT Slideshow: Where the IT Jobs Are: 10 American Cities CIO.com’s IT Job Search Bible Related content feature The year’s top 10 enterprise AI trends — so far In 2022, the big AI story was the technology emerging from research labs and proofs-of-concept, to it being deployed throughout enterprises to get business value. This year started out about the same, with slightly better ML algorithms and improved d By Maria Korolov Sep 21, 2023 16 mins Machine Learning Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence opinion 6 deadly sins of enterprise architecture EA is a complex endeavor made all the more challenging by the mistakes we enterprise architects can’t help but keep making — all in an honest effort to keep the enterprise humming. By Peter Wayner Sep 21, 2023 9 mins Enterprise Architecture IT Strategy Software Development opinion CIOs worry about Gen AI – for all the right reasons Generative AI is poised to be the most consequential information technology of the decade. Plenty of promise. But expect novel new challenges to your enterprise data platform. By Mike Feibus Sep 20, 2023 7 mins CIO Generative AI Artificial Intelligence brandpost How Zero Trust can help align the CIO and CISO By Jaye Tillson, Field CTO at HPE Aruba Networking Sep 20, 2023 4 mins Zero Trust Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe