I think about problem solving and code a lot like the author. But I don't think that means she and I don't belong in tech. I think that means we don't belong in the get-rich-quick scheme that is the present tech startup industry. Or put another way: we belong just fine in tech; we don't belong in business.

It's not tech that says "move fast and break things", it's business. Business is the reason the Internet of Things is full of insecure products. Business is the reason for Web pages made unusable by popovers and ads and unnecessarily paginated articles. Business is the reason for keeping massive databases on users. Behind every problem in tech is an MBA trying to make a profit.

And that's the irony: tech people suffer for the problems business causes, but tech people don't profit from those problems. Sure, tech salaries are good, but those who determine those salaries unsurprisingly pay themselves more. We don't get the satisfaction from making a solid product and we don't get the profit from making a shitty product.

I think the key to being happy in tech is to break that cycle. Either builds things that make you joy (CRUD web apps bring no one joy), or build things that make you money (not salary money, but owner money). Don't settle for building someone else's dream and giving them the profits.