oh, we can overflow this forum's server with how flawed is Israel. I have huge mixed feelings about that country and my bottom line is:
It's such a crazy place that you just can't expect things to work as they should.

My physics teacher (Professor Lichtstein) was a self-made genius. Born in a literal cave in Ukraine, he became a world-renown nuclear physicist - and yet, he was my physics teacher, wasting his last years of brilliancy to try and teach me "F=ma"
It's so sad it's funny...

In some way, this tangent to the discussion is related. We are talking about the needs of the market toppling the success of extreme geniuses. I knew people working for Motorola, Intel, Rafael - literally rocket scientists and atom splitters.
They weren't poor but to know that a mid-level python-flask programmer who's basically winging it can demand 4 times higher salary is a disgrace and a tough realization of where we live!

 

I am a nuclear scientist/engineer.
I am here teaching newbies why they need a resistor to power an LED.

 

I am a nuclear scientist/engineer.
I am here teaching newbies why they need a resistor to power an LED.

Hola Sr Chips

You come here because you like doing so. No need to be that qualified to be a regular here, (albeit most of you really are) either.

As a scientist/engineer how was salary? That would actually add something to the thread, I think.

 

I am a nuclear scientist/engineer.
I am here teaching newbies why they need a resistor to power an LED.

A trying experience if there ever was one. Does the resistor go before or after the LED is the next great question.

 

Hola Sr Chips

You come here because you like doing so. No need to be that qualified to be a regular here, (albeit most of you really are) either.

As a scientist/engineer how was salary? That would actually add something to the thread, I think.

Saludos y feliz año nuevo, Agustín

This thread is about hardware vs software and compensation. I might add, it is about job satisfaction and lifestyle.

I work at a job that pays much less than my earning potential.
I love my job. Would I exchange my job for more money? Not a chance.
Do I live a comfortable lifestyle with what I earn? Definitely.
Would more money make me a happier person? I wouldn't know but I don't think so.

Also about 90% of what I know now is from personal experience doing things on my own and not from a school lesson.

 

Saludos y feliz año nuevo, Agustín

This thread is about hardware vs software and compensation. I might add, it is about job satisfaction and lifestyle.

I work at a job that pays much less than my earning potential.
I love my job. Would I exchange my job for more money? Not a chance.
Do I live a comfortable lifestyle with what I earn? Definitely.
Would more money make me a happier person? I wouldn't know but I don't think so.

Also about 90% of what I know now is from personal experience doing things on my own and not from a school lesson.

Gracias MrChips.

Definitely, satisfaction in any activity, plays a (big) rol.

You got me thinking. Many angles to look at things. Yes.

 

During my career, I never really thought about the money as being the most important aspect of my job. If I did, I would have gone into management.

I enjoyed working as an individual contributor for most of my career. Don't get me wrong, money was important; it just wasn't the most important thing. I wanted the work to be challenging, rewarding (intellectually and monetarily), and beneficial to society.

 

When I was in college, a respected Prof told us:

“if you are studying engineering for the money, you are in the wrong career path. Some of you will become wealthy, that’s for sure, but most will work for the satisfaction of solving tough technical challenges”

 

Spoken like a typical Prof. I work for X because I get paid well, period. Tough technical challenges don't pay the bills.

 

Also, I guess in the States or any other developed country, you get paid decently even if you are not in a "hot" profession...
For example, I imagine teachers, police and care-work are nice, rewarding professions that let you make a real impact while receiving adequate pay. And if your parents are middle class, you can hope for some effective support from them.

However, In some of the countries I lived in, unless you are in IT, medicine or own a business (really just those 3, I am almost not exaggerating) - you are chopped liver (how does $300 per month sound?) and even if your parents are in the extremely rare middle class, their total estate of ~$100k is not exactly "old money" that allows you to choose a profession by some "ideals".

If I had the money and didn't have to choose a work that pays? I'd be teaching engineering (learning it properly first myself, of course) but that "what if money was no object?" is a dream for most of the people I know...

I guess I need to count my blessings that I am relatively valuable as a software engineer (even though I wouldn't touch a piece of software again, if it were my choice) and can look forward to a better life when I retire

 

Also, I guess in the States or any other developed country, you get paid decently even if you are not in a "hot" profession...
For example, I imagine teachers, police and care-work are nice, rewarding professions that let you make a real impact while receiving adequate pay. And if your parents are middle class, you can hope for some effective support from them.

However, In some of the countries I lived in, unless you are in IT, medicine or own a business (really just those 3, I am almost not exaggerating) - you are chopped liver (how does $300 per month sound?) and even if your parents are in the extremely rare middle class, their total estate of ~$100k is not exactly "old money" that allows you to choose a profession by some "ideals".

If I had the money and didn't have to choose a work that pays? I'd be teaching engineering (learning it properly first myself, of course) but that "what if money was no object?" is a dream for most of the people I know...

I guess I need to count my blessings that I am relatively valuable as a software engineer (even though I wouldn't touch a piece of software again, if it were my choice) and can look forward to a better life when I retire

In my career, honestly I never went where the money was. My skills as a software designer brought the money to me. And I never had to worry about being dissatisfied in a job I hated.

I was known for creating a relational database before there was relational databases. I was know for implementing XML before XML was invented. I was known for creating programming languages for a specific set of problems, where no one believed there was a need for a language.

Many of us have similar accomplishments. If you are worth it, the money will find you. Otherwise, just do what you love the most.

 

lol, I one-upped you: I created a relational database AFTER such already existed
I have a very strong opinion about (against) a lot of things already available. It's a problem of my personality. I see mistakes and get irritated to the point of throwing my toys out of the pram.

It's kinda related to the idea behind this thread: I see low-level solutions as better than high level. Yes, I am aware of cost-effectiveness and risks of reinventing the wheel but I just, as a fundamental, immutable, personality trait, consider the people who plan and make hard drives and CPU's a lot more valuable than software people.

Like, just today, I found 3 fatal bugs in Revolut (a world-leading money transfer solution) and 2 fatal bugs in the Tom's Hardware forums - I am like "wow, these people need to return all the money they got paid for this!"
And then I think about my hard-disc or CPU - billions of components per square inch - the person who designed the foundry to make those, how many bugs was he allowed? Now, THAT's a genius!

 

And then I think about my hard-disc or CPU - billions of components per square inch - the person who designed the foundry to make those, how many bugs was he allowed?

Intel and ARM processors had bugs that went undetected for years (Meltdown, Spectre). Intel had the infamous floating point bug in the 486 that was due to a script error.

Microsoft made a lot of money fixing bugs in in their products. Just about all software vendors do.

 

Intel and ARM processors had bugs that went undetected for years (Meltdown, Spectre). Intel had the infamous floating point bug in the 486 that was due to a script error.

Microsoft made a lot of money fixing bugs in in their products. Just about all software vendors do.

One more story... In the early years of networking PCs, I went to class for IBM LAN Manager. And discovered a HUGE security bug. If the Admins shut down LAN Manager for maintenance, I was able to extend any pre-existing connections, WITH FULL ACCESS TO ALL CONNECTED NODES! Ummm, to say the least, the IBMmers in the room were a little aggravated.

 

Thanks Draxdomax.
You understood exactly what I meant.

 

Thanks Draxdomax.
You understood exactly what I meant.

Lol not sure if it's a dig I either don't understand what people mean or I feel I don't understand them even when I do.
Since a false positive is about as bad as a false negative, I just don't assume anything about people's feelings!