I think the issue is that "tech" is a shifting label that requires novelty. My great-grandfather came over from France to work as an "engineer" in the mines of

I think the issue is that "tech" is a shifting label that requires novelty. My great-grandfather came over from France to work as an "engineer" in the mines of Minnesota. I suspect that for him as for me, the novel technology created an opportunity for quick-on-the-uptake people to make a decent living figuring out the new thing and making it go. But eventually the technology becomes settled and boring, so it's a different thing both in terms of skill and economically. If you're interested, you might look at Wardley mapping, one axis of which involves technology moving along this axis: Genesis -> Custom Built -> Product -> Utility/Commodity. Also relevant is the technology adoption lifecycle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_adoption_life_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_adoption_life_cycle