It's not just binary, it's a binary choice between "those jobs that are a bit like mine" and "all the other ones". Imagine what some hypothetical parents with o

It's not just binary, it's a binary choice between "those jobs that are a bit like mine" and "all the other ones". Imagine what some hypothetical parents with other careers might say: > ... between jobs that involve being outside (gardener, railroad worker) and those that don't (office worker, bus driver, ...) > ... between jobs that involve creative expression of your emotions (artist, musician) and those that don't (office worker, bus driver, ...) > ... between jobs that involve saving people's lives (firefighter, doctor) and those that don't (office worker, bus driver, ...) In the above, "office worker" includes desk jobs like programmer, startup CEO, and secretary. To people in some careers, those all sound pretty much the same. A less extreme version of that third example would be jobs that are more people-based (in a meaningful way e.g. perhaps including travel agent but not barista) and those that aren't, which would be a very significant split for some people. ---- As a separate point, and probably a bit more pendantic: I think that even "making new stuff" can mean two different things. If you look at manufacturing e.g. building cars, you typically have a split between interesting design jobs and the factory floor where stuff actually gets built but the job is pretty boring and maybe sometimes even low skilled. Computer programming, even low-level implementation, is more analagous to design in manufacturing (then the "creating" is the trivial file copy of the executable). But again, to some people that distinction is important and they would rather be building something physical with their hands (plasterer, carpenter, etc.), even if it's to someone else's design, rather than doing something that doesn't involve fine motor skill even if it's "creating" software or car designs.