> The only major sub-domain of software that I think this may potentially be true of is embedded systems. And even then, that's a big maybe.
The big problem with embedded is that when things go wrong, it has a cross cut with electrical engineering--you have to understand datasheets, read a scope, and understand that digital signals sometimes aren't.
I have never known a good embedded software person who is software-only. Even DSP-types with EE degrees don't often operate on hardware very well.
Generally, the best embedded software types are good hardware EE's and passable software people.
I consider myself a very good embedded engineer, but my software is merely "straightforward". Of course, the best software people I know claim I should take that as a compliment, and they are all happy to work with my code.
Exactly but now embedded systems look more and more like personal computing used to be not much time ago. We're certainly on par with mid to late 90s in regards to that, and even farther if you consider things like the RPi as embedded. Not only processing power but relating to the skill set needed.
I don't take lightly your skillset at all, but it comes a time when people start using inneficient solutions because it's faster to produce, and you have plenty of hw resources, so... why not? Do it in Python and improve it later... maybe, and then you don't. :-)
I believe you get my point. Not that I personally think using micropython is a worthy path solution for embedded dev as of now, in a professional context. But there will come a time when that can make sense, as it's already the case in the RPi, as I mentioned.
> I consider myself a very good embedded engineer, but my software is merely "straightforward"
And that's where I make my business. I'm merely a straightforward embedded engineer but focus on the software/hw integration making the excellent work of people like you work with the external world, databases, desktop/web UIs and all of that using software engineering practices. Basically doing the "cloud", "edge" and "IoT" buzzwords.
The big problem with embedded is that when things go wrong, it has a cross cut with electrical engineering--you have to understand datasheets, read a scope, and understand that digital signals sometimes aren't.
I have never known a good embedded software person who is software-only. Even DSP-types with EE degrees don't often operate on hardware very well.
Generally, the best embedded software types are good hardware EE's and passable software people.
I consider myself a very good embedded engineer, but my software is merely "straightforward". Of course, the best software people I know claim I should take that as a compliment, and they are all happy to work with my code.