Did the author miss it when this happened twenty years ago?

In 2000, at my very first job, was when I first met a developer who got into it for the money and not for the love. When he told us he picked computer science in college because it seemed like it was a good way to make a living, and a lot easier than law or medicine, the rest of us programmers looked at him like he had sprouted a second head. By 2010, people like him were the norm.

Who cares, though?

If you're a "curious" developer, the existence of a massive preponderance of incurious engineers who are in it for the money doesn't change who you are. It doesn't have to change how you see yourself.

Socially, there are more "curious" developers to connect with and learn from than ever before.

The downside is that people outside of the industry will draw conclusions about you based on their perception of engineers as a whole. Boring and mercenary.

But let's face it, in the eyes of most of the population, boring and mercenary is a step up from how we were perceived when it was just us nerds who were weird enough to enjoy it.

There's a funny correlation with UC Berkeley comp sci requirements. Dot com bubble pushed the minimum GPA to declare up. Bubble burst, GPA requirement went down. 2014-2018 it crept up again.

I could've been annoyed that everyone was doing it for the money while I really cared, but you know what, most people cannot afford to go to college for a low paying career. And I took a high paying job in the end when I could've easily done research or tinkering instead, so can't complain.

Now if anything, I'm pissed off at the few coworkers who also care a lot and act superior doing stuff the "real coder" ways, actually don't get very much done, and hold others back.