Ive had both a call center job and a job making sandwiches all day while teaching myself programming on the side. I progressed way further during the sandwich-making years. It was hard to come home after being on a computer all day dealing with real problems (call center) and sit down to program, whereas after working in a restaurant I was physically exhausted but desperate for a cognitive outlet.
To clarify - the stress of the restaurant job was as much the lack of a distinct schedule combined with minimum wage pay as it was the physical work of the job. The call center gave me a regular 8-6 window, full time work at double the minimum wage at the time.
