Why is it that, as a computer scientist, I get all bent out of shape when technology doesn’t work for me?
I’ve spent the better part of yesterday afternoon and this morning unsuccessfully trying to get a server up and running, and nothing is working. I’m sure most normal people would just shrug, maybe take a break, and come back to try again later. I, however, seem to take it as a sign of my professional incompetence. “I’m a computer scientist!” I wail. “I actually understand this stuff! So it should just work!” After all, I’m a technology professional, so of course all technology should work perfectly for me, on the first try!
Do other professionals do this? Do English majors despair when they can’t find the right words to write in a greeting card? Do mathematicians question their credentials when their checkbook is balanced incorrectly? (“Damn, I always forget to carry the one! Stupid stupid addition!”) Do librarians lose it when they just can’t find that book?
This is what a computer scientist looks like 