... but you would be very upset if you'd spent years doing graduate research in fluid mechanics, gone through several interviews where you discussed theory, acc

... but you would be very upset if you'd spent years doing graduate research in fluid mechanics, gone through several interviews where you discussed theory, accepted an offer believing your role would be technically groundbreaking and use your knowledge of fluid mechanics -- then realize on your first day you had been hired as a plumber. I think this is less a denigration of software engineering in 2018 than it is a denigration of software engineer interviewing in 2018.