The older I get (I’m not even 30 but nevertheless), the less invested I feel in so many of the problems in software engineering. It’s why I’ve gravitated toward

The older I get (I’m not even 30 but nevertheless), the less invested I feel in so many of the problems in software engineering. It’s why I’ve gravitated toward embedded and computer architecture, the problems there feel more fundamental and necessary. I have a friend who jumped ship recently from the CS department to physics, and he tells me that spending so much time thinking about the theoretical underpinnings of the physical world just sort of ruined CS and software engineering for him. I imagine that physics can make almost anything else feel trivial, so maybe it’s an unfair example. I know there are interesting problems in CS and software engineering but rarely do those of us working in industry get the chance to do anything truly novel. Embedded is simple, almost like using hand tools, but at least the products I contribute to are physical and solving real, hard problems. Just wish the money was better…