It's not the most scientific piece of research that Computing has ever carried but an email survey looking for the UK's worst jobs doesn't make great reading.

Being an IT manager is considered by respondents to be the world's third least desirable career move.

The authors of 'Crap Jobs' admit it's more gainful employment than sex-line operator and North Sea Ferry cabin cleaner, which is nice.

But it cannot match the charms of garlic grader, plastic tray checker or pig semen collector - a role which most of us were hitherto thankfully ignorant.

The poll of the worst 100 jobs also has database builder at 14, behind 'landfill executive' and internet consultant at 72, behind maggot farmer.

Now we don't want to get too po-faced about this...Oh, go on then.

It's just that this kind of work does reflect a genuine attitude towards technology and indeed all technical work.

There are rational reasons for considering IT to be a poor career choice - like the fact that someone will want to put you out to pasture when you reach the grand old age of 35.

But that's not it.

In the consciousness of many otherwise open-minded young people, there is nothing worse than being considered a 'geek.'

By that we mean someone who actually works to attain complex skills rather than finding an easy route to celebrity. It's not just IT - feature film animator ranks the 15th worst job.

It wouldn't matter if we had a manufacturing industry, or North Sea Oil, or all-year-round sunshine. But technical expertise and innovation is our best hope of retaining our wealth in a global economy.

So we need to tackle the lack of respect for technology.

Or we may all end up fighting for low-paid hell as cement researchers (34), koala stuffers (18) or even, God help us, journalists (95).