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I was just getting into the workforce during the rough timeframe you mention and I feel conflicted, maybe even angry about it. It was definitely true that the

I was just getting into the workforce during the rough timeframe you mention and I feel conflicted, maybe even angry about it. It was definitely true that the nerd crowd was looked down on back then. And if you wanted to go into a startup instead of Cisco / IBM / whatever, no girl would look at you. At least down in the valley, of all places. Back in NYC, where I was from, it was little better. People in general just looked at you funny for actually wanting to build something good, useful and/or interesting — in particular if it hasn’t been done. And yes, most of those folks would be in soul-grinding jobs that they hated. Engineers are a LOT more respected today, and down inside I think it’s for the wrong reasons. People want the fruits of creativity but few want to actually be in the process, or even really understand it.

P_I_Staker 4y ago
This transcends engineering. Strange to bring up here, but "It's Always Sunny" did a great bit on this. One of the characters is somewhat narcissistic, maybe psycho, and very vain. He says he doesn't want real power... just the illusion of power. Deep down it's what most people want because real power comes with real baggage, and most people would rather not deal with it. They just want cool business cards, people to be impressed by them, and we won't get into the last thing. It's not necessarily power we're talking about here, but the principle is the same. Most people would rather not grind hours of stressful work and/or getting into countless frustrating arguments with other creatives. It's nicer to politic and cultivate the illusion of being important and at the helm of a massive machine.