5 ms·

I wonder what proportion of HN would have different careers if software engineering paid, say, as much as humanities while humanities paid like software enginee

I wonder what proportion of HN would have different careers if software engineering paid, say, as much as humanities while humanities paid like software engineering. It seems like everyone here (myself included) isn't really in it for the money, but who knows what would happen.

Kenji 8y ago
I would have gone for the humanities in your scenario. What do you think, I'm stupid and go for breadless jobs? I love doing good work and what that good work is doesn't matter that much. If gardening paid as well I'd be gardening.
astura 8y ago
I'm only in it for the money. I'm good at my job and I enjoy it for the most part, but I'm only doing it because I get paid well.
ravenstine 8y ago
I like software engineering and have always had a personal interest in it. In fact, I'd say that I'm more passionate about it than 90% of the programmers I've worked with and spoken to. Having said that, software engineering as a profession is shitty in some respects. I don't think I would do it if it paid as little as the humanities. I'd continue doing it on my own time, but the drudgery of dealing with other people's bad code, corporate practices, clueless bosses, clients who undervalue and lowball you, etc. wouldn't be worth dealing with. It's not so much that I wouldn't be able to make a living, because I think I'd be content living on relatively little(as I am currently experiencing), but life is just too short to deal with professional software engineering when I'd get so little out of it. Alternatively, I'd just go into woodworking. Income becomes relative to the quality of work produced (I've never worked anywhere that actually cared about or rewarded quality code) and I could say or do whatever I want without someone else reaping most of the benefits and judging my actions by outdated 1950s office standards.
Swizec 8y ago
I love engineering. But you know what, when rent is $3000+ per month, there's only so far my rational mind will let me go. I loved art and drawing too. But I wisely chose not to master in art when going to college.
- Moodles 8y ago
  Yeah, same. I think I could have enjoyed going into history but the huge salary disparity certainly helps make the choice between two otherwise more or less equal paths. Also, rent in some cities might not be as much if fewer people went into tech ;-)
jschwartzi 8y ago
I'm doing this because this is one of the few things I'm good at that people will pay me lots of money to do. If it paid less than being a teacher, I'd go become a teacher instead. It's not that I'm dispassionate about it, but I have to eat.
pnathan 8y ago
Well, the other option going into college was music. Although it's also quite likely I would have landed as a historian or linguist. I would probably have continued programming in the evenings, but doing history as the day job. Today I program in the day, and often read history in the evenings. Ultimately, I like paying rent/mortgage, soo.... yeah.
wolco 8y ago
If we could go back to role where we worked on our own. Where we created our own programs from our ideas. We work on waterfall projects by day and hacked our own ganes at night. Never to be included in business meetings never to talk to the customer and never to have a standup meeting. Where everyone loved something about technology programming/hardware/etc and continued day or night. In many ways things would be better. This represents a time before everyone liked computers and most feared them. Salaries were not as high as today. The work was harder but more meaningful. We can't go back. The future looks more like turning programmers into interchangable pieces that can be commodized. Defining all work into smaller pieces. I think many of us would trade big salaries for jobs at places like bell labs.
scarface74 8y ago
That’s Silicon Valley thinking. Most software engineers are no more “passionate” than any other endeavor. I go to work every day just for the money. I keep on top of tech trends for optionality.
opportune 8y ago
Weird, I think it’s almost the opposite. I wouldn’t be in software if it didn’t at least allow for an upper-middle class lifestyle - I would probably have tried to either become a scientist, a brewer, or a banker. As a scientist I would maximize my mental interest and engagement in the work, as a brewer I would have the best lifestyle, and as a banker I would have the most money. Software right now is great because it does pretty well in all three categories, but if it paid just as well or a little more as being a scientist, I would have little reason to stick around in software. Age is probably somewhat of a factor here since people who went into software before it was so highly paid likely didn’t have money as a huge motivator, compared to people who went into software more recently
ummonk 8y ago
I was doing rocket science but switched to software engineering for the money. I certainly enjoy software engineering, and am not in it solely for the money, but had there been no difference in compensation, I would never have switched. I like having a chance at owning a decent home in the Bay Area (where I've grown up) some day.
fma 8y ago
When I started college in 2001 I knew I was going to be an engineer but was undecided between computer, mechanical, aerospace and chemical. I loved tinkering. If I recall, at that time the salary for undergrads wasn't a huge difference where salary would have driven your decision. I ended up in computer engineering because it came natural (and now, software engineering as that's where the jobs are). If humanities salary was swapped I'd be a history major while tinkering on the side :)
yacn 8y ago
well i think software engineers would likely be unionized if that were the case.

Kenji 8y ago

I would have gone for the humanities in your scenario. What do you think, I'm stupid and go for breadless jobs? I love doing good work and what that good work is doesn't matter that much. If gardening paid as well I'd be gardening.

astura 8y ago

I'm only in it for the money. I'm good at my job and I enjoy it for the most part, but I'm only doing it because I get paid well.

ravenstine 8y ago

I like software engineering and have always had a personal interest in it. In fact, I'd say that I'm more passionate about it than 90% of the programmers I've worked with and spoken to. Having said that, software engineering as a profession is shitty in some respects. I don't think I would do it if it paid as little as the humanities. I'd continue doing it on my own time, but the drudgery of dealing with other people's bad code, corporate practices, clueless bosses, clients who undervalue and lowball you, etc. wouldn't be worth dealing with. It's not so much that I wouldn't be able to make a living, because I think I'd be content living on relatively little(as I am currently experiencing), but life is just too short to deal with professional software engineering when I'd get so little out of it. Alternatively, I'd just go into woodworking. Income becomes relative to the quality of work produced (I've never worked anywhere that actually cared about or rewarded quality code) and I could say or do whatever I want without someone else reaping most of the benefits and judging my actions by outdated 1950s office standards.

Swizec 8y ago

I love engineering. But you know what, when rent is $3000+ per month, there's only so far my rational mind will let me go. I loved art and drawing too. But I wisely chose not to master in art when going to college.

Moodles 8y ago
Yeah, same. I think I could have enjoyed going into history but the huge salary disparity certainly helps make the choice between two otherwise more or less equal paths. Also, rent in some cities might not be as much if fewer people went into tech ;-)

jschwartzi 8y ago

I'm doing this because this is one of the few things I'm good at that people will pay me lots of money to do. If it paid less than being a teacher, I'd go become a teacher instead. It's not that I'm dispassionate about it, but I have to eat.

pnathan 8y ago

Well, the other option going into college was music. Although it's also quite likely I would have landed as a historian or linguist. I would probably have continued programming in the evenings, but doing history as the day job. Today I program in the day, and often read history in the evenings. Ultimately, I like paying rent/mortgage, soo.... yeah.

wolco 8y ago

If we could go back to role where we worked on our own. Where we created our own programs from our ideas. We work on waterfall projects by day and hacked our own ganes at night. Never to be included in business meetings never to talk to the customer and never to have a standup meeting. Where everyone loved something about technology programming/hardware/etc and continued day or night. In many ways things would be better. This represents a time before everyone liked computers and most feared them. Salaries were not as high as today. The work was harder but more meaningful. We can't go back. The future looks more like turning programmers into interchangable pieces that can be commodized. Defining all work into smaller pieces. I think many of us would trade big salaries for jobs at places like bell labs.

scarface74 8y ago

That’s Silicon Valley thinking. Most software engineers are no more “passionate” than any other endeavor. I go to work every day just for the money. I keep on top of tech trends for optionality.

opportune 8y ago

Weird, I think it’s almost the opposite. I wouldn’t be in software if it didn’t at least allow for an upper-middle class lifestyle - I would probably have tried to either become a scientist, a brewer, or a banker. As a scientist I would maximize my mental interest and engagement in the work, as a brewer I would have the best lifestyle, and as a banker I would have the most money. Software right now is great because it does pretty well in all three categories, but if it paid just as well or a little more as being a scientist, I would have little reason to stick around in software. Age is probably somewhat of a factor here since people who went into software before it was so highly paid likely didn’t have money as a huge motivator, compared to people who went into software more recently

ummonk 8y ago

I was doing rocket science but switched to software engineering for the money. I certainly enjoy software engineering, and am not in it solely for the money, but had there been no difference in compensation, I would never have switched. I like having a chance at owning a decent home in the Bay Area (where I've grown up) some day.

fma 8y ago

When I started college in 2001 I knew I was going to be an engineer but was undecided between computer, mechanical, aerospace and chemical. I loved tinkering. If I recall, at that time the salary for undergrads wasn't a huge difference where salary would have driven your decision. I ended up in computer engineering because it came natural (and now, software engineering as that's where the jobs are). If humanities salary was swapped I'd be a history major while tinkering on the side :)

yacn 8y ago

well i think software engineers would likely be unionized if that were the case.