> Maybe it's because of the advent of self taught engineers?
I doubt that it's this. For much of the modern history of the software industry, almost all engineers were self-taught, but this is a more recent phenomenon. And it's one I've seen as much from college graduates as others.
Personally, I think it's because a lot of software engineering is climbing up higher of the ladder of abstraction. Having a career as a dev without understanding the low-level basics of how computers work is entirely viable now. Just a couple of decades back, it wasn't.
I doubt that it's this. For much of the modern history of the software industry, almost all engineers were self-taught, but this is a more recent phenomenon. And it's one I've seen as much from college graduates as others.
Personally, I think it's because a lot of software engineering is climbing up higher of the ladder of abstraction. Having a career as a dev without understanding the low-level basics of how computers work is entirely viable now. Just a couple of decades back, it wasn't.