Of course, it is difficult to compare jobs with respect how hard they are. One could easily argue that every job is hard. Jobs can be demanding in various areas

Of course, it is difficult to compare jobs with respect how hard they are. One could easily argue that every job is hard. Jobs can be demanding in various areas, such as: physical, emotional, psychological, mental and intellectual. Some thins, I think, make software engineering hard, is because it is not very visible from the outside. Another reason is also that it is different from other forms of engineering, where the product of the engineering is outside the engineering and where it is often easy to add a margin. With software, a very small bug can have big consequences. I also think that software developement is a very creative profession, while often not viewed as such, where you are often judged on the basis of your creative output. In a sense software developers struggle with similar problems as artists, where there is often not an objective good or bad. Discussions about coding styles are frequently found here on Hacker News.