I am a software engineer and started making wooden table tennis blades. The only frustrating part is finding good woods, tools, ... In software you just need a computer and you can start being productive :-).
As with everything, name brand blades can have prices that appear expensive to a complete outsider.
[1]: https://www.stigasports.com/eu/dynasty-carbon-xu-xin-edition...
Something like this: https://www.stigasports.com/eu/allround-evolution-table-tenn...
Can take you very far if you're just beginning. By the time you're actually tired of it (probably a few years into the future), you're knowledgeable enough to figure out if you want something more expensive and exactly what you'd like.
>Very offensive 5+2-ply blade.
It took me a moment to get this, the racket looked pretty pleasant to me. I wonder what makes a racket more offensive or defensive, would it be the shape? Or maybe the weight distribution.
It's the weight, weight distribution and rigidity.
A very heavy, stiff and top heavy blade would be very offensive, since it would generate a lot of speed but you'd be lacking in control.