> bad patterns for some people I have definitely seen that in other people when I was doing my physics undergrad. And to some extent, I probably experienced th

> bad patterns for some people I have definitely seen that in other people when I was doing my physics undergrad. And to some extent, I probably experienced that myself. I was on the road to starting a Cosmology PhD with incredibly high aspirations but my (then) girlfriend gave me an ultimatum: physics or me. To be fair, she was the primary bread winner and a graduate lifestyle would have been an even greater strain on the relationship. So, I opted for the latter and went into software. Also, like you, I have no regrets. I still miss physics incredibly and, you’re right, there is something exceedingly sexy about solving those (including mathematics here) sorta problems. I sort of see it as a way to reach across generations and walk the same paths as the giants have. Anyway, I do find a great amount of joy in software problems, but nothing beats that first love.