I should have looked for a job in the public Sector, with a council or a hospital or something.  I could easily manage an IT Department, or part of an IT department, or just work in an IT department.  The beauty of the public sector is that there is no pressure.  There is no pressure because there is no accountability.  There is no accountability because the organisation won't float or sink as a result of your effort, or lack thereof.  There is no money to be made and no reason, on a day-to-day basis, to run a tight ship.

I'm known people to work for councils and they have free-wheeled through a good 20 years of their careers, meandering from reading the news in the morning, to first tea break.  Then send a few emails and faff a bit with work until lunch.  After lunch, a few conversations are had, a few pages of a report typed up and then the freefall to home time.

Mind you, I think I would get fed up fairly quickly.  All of this would be fine for a few weeks - sort of like a paid holiday.  It would wear thin fast though.  I don't think I could fool myself that my life had meaning and that my job was worthwhile.  I did manage it in the university - where everything I did made no difference to anyone anywhere (and my work was leagues above that of most others).  Academic research is mostly irrelevant and makes no difference to man or beast. Academic research is the socialist mechanism for advancement.  Business research and development is the capitalist mechanism for advancement.

The point is that its better to do something that will have a lasting impact, even if it makes you miserable some days.