This is my 30th year programming. I always hope it's my last. Programming for money destroyed the fun hobby long ago.
It's just reinventing the wheel year after year by this point. The last thing the world needs is more software.
The web is the crappiest platform ever conceived; I won't touch it. Social media is poison. Smartphones didn't impress me in 2007 and they don't impress me now. They're annoying and intrusive. I still like desktop software. I know, I'm a dinosaur.
I just don't care about computers any more. I don't care what direction the industry goes in. I'm not depressed and I don't need to learn a new language or work on a different project.
I love creative problem solving. What I do not love is solving whatever problems are handed to you without asking whether they truly need solutions, or whether it's good for the world. Much of what people want computers to do is a waste of time and of life. Whether it's bureaucratic corporate garbage or thought stopping entertainment.
I haven't started yet and I am already tired of Computer Vision and pace of catching up in the field. I am saying so as I am working towards my Master's thesis.
The field evolves faster than I thought. It is so quick and nothing makes sense here. 5 year old technique is pre-historic.
Like you I also like creative problem solving, and aha moments. Sometimes I think I should have studied some physics I feel like switching to software engineering but I do not have the qualifications for it. All I have is years of experience in ML and CV. However, I managed to transition to graphics somehow! Graphics is something I feel closest to physics and enjoy it a lot! I want to get into simulations and animations, but no idea how!
Thank you very much for coming out and saying all of this.
I'm reminded of Wendell Berry's essay "Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer"[1]:
> I do not see that computers are bringing us one step nearer to anything that does matter to me: economic justice, ecological health, political honesty, family and community stability, good work.
This essay was apparently written in 1987. If Mr. Berry were to revisit the subject today, I suspect he would offer much the same sentiment, perhaps even more strongly.
> The last thing the world needs is more software.
My dream job in this field is to get paid to delete code.
> I still like desktop software. I know, I'm a dinosaur.
Same.
It boggles my mind that people think smart phones are an acceptable way to compute. They're a compromise for mobility, they're not a good way to access compute in general.
I feel this, and I love programming for the web. I had to quit doing it professionally and focus on coding for myself again in order to stop feeling this way. Now I love my programming work again! Good luck!
It's just reinventing the wheel year after year by this point. The last thing the world needs is more software.
The web is the crappiest platform ever conceived; I won't touch it. Social media is poison. Smartphones didn't impress me in 2007 and they don't impress me now. They're annoying and intrusive. I still like desktop software. I know, I'm a dinosaur.
I just don't care about computers any more. I don't care what direction the industry goes in. I'm not depressed and I don't need to learn a new language or work on a different project.
I love creative problem solving. What I do not love is solving whatever problems are handed to you without asking whether they truly need solutions, or whether it's good for the world. Much of what people want computers to do is a waste of time and of life. Whether it's bureaucratic corporate garbage or thought stopping entertainment.
I'm so tired of computers.