Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyc
Truth! I have literally been there, done that. I bought into the Compute Science dream for a long time and do not really regret it -- as I said, it paid off my mortgage -- but I realized some 10 years ago exactly what you say...
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I love (creating) technical computer programs, that make machines do work. One example is LaTeX: it basically is a compiler. You put flat text interspersed with some commands into it, and it blurts out a fully formatted PDF file with headings, chapters, and so on.
Another example is something such as, or like, a chess engine. You put a chess position in it, tell it to calculate for X minutes, and it tells you what it thinks to be the best move.
That's software of epic proportions. (Although chess engines seem to become commonplace nowadays).
After finishing my study in creating and engineering such programs, I discovered that nobody except for a very select few companies want or need that kind of software; and most of them are not in the Netherlands (anymore).
So now I maintain or write administrative software that stuffs things into a database, or websites (and they are, if you strip away the design, just representations of databases too, nowadays... sigh) for a living.
It's like studying to become a great writer, wanting to write great literary works, just to end up writing manuals for the next Braun toaster.