This is the best description I've read here so far. Scientific programming is ultimately a "niche" task, and there's a limited number of areas where this work h

This is the best description I've read here so far. Scientific programming is ultimately a "niche" task, and there's a limited number of areas where this work happens (startup hubs, sure, but otherwise its research institutions, financial companies, or bust). The best analogy I can think of is a tenure-track professorship. As a scientific programmer you are a complimentary good to advanced research; please remember that advanced research only happens in a few places across the world.