Tiger Woods is, arguably, one of the finest golfers ever to pick up a club. During his peak a few years ago, it really did not seem as if anyone would ever beat him. He dominated the game, dominated every player he came up against. He was an invincible force. I asked a buddy once why he and his fellow duffers thought Tiger was so amazing. He said it was because there just weren't any holes in Tiger's game, that Tiger was complete in all respects.

I also know that Tiger practiced, hour after hour. Long after darkness had come on and the other golfers had called it a night, Tiger would hit balls into garbage cans under lights. When everyone else had given up, he continued to strive for excellence. Now, Tiger hasn't won a major tournament in several years - he is no longer dominant, he is really no longer a threat.

So what happened?

Tiger got rich: And some of us made a little money as well. It is interesting how money can change your perspective on work. It diminishes some of the hunger that you might have felt during your misspent youth as a young coder. Now, you have been working for a number of years, you've got some money in the bank, and the motivation to stay late just to put the finishing touches on that app is not as strong. Some say Tiger lost a certain amount of his competitive drive because of the money; maybe we do the same in IT.

Tiger changed clubs: Since the switch to Nike, Tiger has not done nearly as well. Similarly, while many of us tried to convert ourselves into Flash programmers or hot shot Web developers, this was not the right move for everyone. Sometimes, you can't beat the tried-and-true tools that have gotten you to where you are. And, while it is decidedly very important to keep your skill set as current as possible, this is not always the way to stay at the top; sometimes, it makes more sense to hone the skills you already have. Perhaps Tiger should go back to the old clubs.

Tiger got the girl: Yeah, okay, so most of us did not land sexy, Swedish models as a result of our dedication to PowerBuilder. On the other hand, many of us did end up with a family. And, when you have created a family, it is really quite normal to want to get home at the end of the day. There is never a night when I think of being at work as a better or more productive way to spend my time than to be home with my wife. Somehow, during my most productive time as an IT professional, I would work monster hours to make it happen. I think spending time with family is more balanced.

Tiger does Buick commercials: Again, our professions in PB have not landed most of us in the media. But, being an IT pro has given me, and many of you, an excellent and easy means of picking up some side jobs. Unfortunately, as we take on a little Web development, or do a little consulting work on the side, we can lose track of our monster drives, our great putting, and our short games.

Essentially, Tiger does more than golf: While many of us fall victim to the pitfalls of growing into new stages in our professional careers, it is apparent that the balance of our lives falls on the side of life outside the cubicle. And, while we may break our string of Majors because of it all, who among us can cast a stone? Tiger has a life!!