Computer programmers are about average in terms of happiness.

At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, computer programmers rate their career happiness 3.2 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 49% of careers.

To put this into perspective, we compared how happy computer programmers are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:

Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers

Career Satisfaction Avg Salary
Web designer
3.3
$37k
Data scientist
3.3
$88k
Web developer
3.3
$69k
Computer repair technician
3.3
$47k
Front-End developer
3.3
$51k
Computer programmer
3.2
$85k
Network administrator
3.2
$47k
IT security consultant
3.2
$60k
Security engineer
3.2
$74k
Software engineer
3.2
$93k

So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:

  • Salary: Are computer programmers happy with their salary?
  • Meaning: Do computer programmers find their jobs meaningful?
  • Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as computer programmers?
  • Work environment: How enjoyable are computer programmer’s work environments?
  • Skills utilization: Are computer programmers making the best use of their abilities?

Are computer programmers happy with their salary?

Computer programmers rated their satisfaction with their salaries 3.4/5. The majority of computer programmers are quite happy with their salaries, with very few having complaints about their income level.

We asked computer programmers how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:

3.4 out of 5 stars

2912 computer programmers

5 Star
19%

19% of computer programmers rated their compensation 5 stars

4 Star
33%

33% of computer programmers rated their compensation 4 stars

3 Star
26%

26% of computer programmers rated their compensation 3 stars

2 Star
13%

13% of computer programmers rated their compensation 2 stars

1 Star
9%

9% of computer programmers rated their compensation 1 stars

Do computer programmers find their jobs meaningful?

On average, computer programmers rate the meaningfulness of their work a 2.9/5. While most computer programmers aren’t very fulfilled by their work, some people may still manage to find meaning in it.

We asked computer programmers how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:

2.9 out of 5 stars

2965 computer programmers

5 Star
14%

14% of computer programmers rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars

4 Star
20%

20% of computer programmers rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars

3 Star
25%

25% of computer programmers rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars

2 Star
22%

22% of computer programmers rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars

1 Star
19%

19% of computer programmers rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars

How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as computer programmers?

Computer programmers rated their personality fit with their work an average of 3.7/5. The majority of computer programmers find their personalities quite well suited to their work, with relatively few having complaints about their fit.

We asked computer programmers how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:

3.7 out of 5 stars

3392 computer programmers

5 Star
28%

28% of computer programmers rated their career fit 5 stars

4 Star
36%

36% of computer programmers rated their career fit 4 stars

3 Star
23%

23% of computer programmers rated their career fit 3 stars

2 Star
9%

9% of computer programmers rated their career fit 2 stars

1 Star
4%

4% of computer programmers rated their career fit 1 stars

How enjoyable is a computer programmer’s work environment?

As a whole, computer programmers rated their enjoyment of their work environment 3.6/5. A solid majority of computer programmers enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as a computer programmer.

We asked computer programmers how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:

3.6 out of 5 stars

3375 computer programmers

5 Star
23%

23% of computer programmers rated their work environment 5 stars

4 Star
34%

34% of computer programmers rated their work environment 4 stars

3 Star
24%

24% of computer programmers rated their work environment 3 stars

2 Star
13%

13% of computer programmers rated their work environment 2 stars

1 Star
6%

6% of computer programmers rated their work environment 1 stars

Are computer programmers making the best use of their abilities?

Former computer programmers on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 3.3/5. Most computer programmers are satisfied with how well their abilities are skills are made of use.

We asked computer programmers how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:

3.3 out of 5 stars

3380 computer programmers

5 Star
20%

20% of computer programmers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars

4 Star
27%

27% of computer programmers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars

3 Star
26%

26% of computer programmers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars

2 Star
19%

19% of computer programmers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars

1 Star
9%

9% of computer programmers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars