A rather belated response, but hopefully still relevant: consider exploring fields of interest to you that are sufficiently different from compsci to give your brain a break while still being productive?
To explain by means of an example: I happen to have a strong interest in both historical philology and theoretical physics, and I’ve actively leveraged this to my advantage in that when my brain is fed up of thinking about conundrums of translation in Old Norse poetry, I’ll switch gears completely and crack open a textbook on, say, subatomic physics or Lie algebras, and start reading/working problems. Similarly, if I’ve spent several hours trying to wrap my head around a mathematical concept and need a respite, I can go read an article or a book on some aspect of Anglo-Saxon literature. It’s still a productive use of time, but it’s also a refreshing break, because it requires a different type of thinking. (At least, in my experience?) Of course, if I’m exceptionally low on energy, I simply resort to burying myself in a good book (non-fiction or fiction, generally it doesn’t matter).
Another example: a friend of mine is a computer scientist, but did a minor in philosophy and is an avid musician in his spare time. (And both reading philosophy and practicing music have the added advantage of being activities that do not involve staring at a computer screen!)
Graduate student in medieval literature, here—so possibly the most seemingly impractical career choice ever, especially given my competencies in physics/math, but here are some of the main reasons:
Research, research, research—and the appeal of my own specific field, Anglo-Saxon/Old Norse literature & linguistics
Teaching—I do in fact enjoy lecturing and leading discussions. A great deal of theatre training has translated into ease and competence when speaking to large groups.
Relative flexibility and freedom—when working as a TA and a substitute lecturer, I have loved the freedom to set my own schedule (for marking/prep/etc.), outside of specific class times.
While in grad school, and afterwards if I manage to get an academic job: guaranteed support while I spend my time reading and writing and learning, which is what I’d want to do anyways.
Environment—I love the university environment, because it allows me to connect with (and learn from) researchers in so many different fields, not only my own.
I haven’t been as concerned about effective altruism as many here, but helping students develop critical thinking, writing, analysis, and communication skills is definitely important to me.
I believe, based on my experience thus far, that I do have the ability to be competitive on the academic job market.
Other related career options that I will be prepared for if academia doesn’t pan out: editing, publishing, writing, journalism, library science, translation, teaching ESL. I also work in professional theatre (as an actress & stage manager).
(Convenient timing—I just posted, yesterday, some of my thoughts on this to my blog. Feel free to read if interested: http://merelyinquisitive.com/2014/03/10/why-graduate-school/ )