I'm a software engineer at Google, I've been browsing this shithole for 7 years

I've never posted before. I read the front page everyday. It's not that I'm ashamed of it, it's just that I haven't really had anything to say. But today I just wanted to say "hello"<br><br>I'm a software engineer at Google headquarters. I've had this job for 3 years and been in the industry for 7. I've done very well for myself. I got my foot in the door here because I was a self-taught programmer, with a degree in fine arts. Programming is a field where if you are interested enough and actually put in the effort, you can teach yourself to be really fucking good at it. Programming, as a field, rewards people who are self-motivated and willing to put in the effort. I have been programming since I was 10 years old, everything from web development to operating system design. I've worked on some really cool projects here at Google, and some not so cool ones. But hey, it's a job. It pays me enough to live in California.<br><br>A lot of you gleamers on here talk about how much you hate and are jealous of "techbros." Truthfully, there is nothing to be jealous of. Being a software engineer is one of the most boring jobs I can imagine. Nothing about it is "cool". I spend most of my time working on group projects and going to meetings. It's not like Silicon Valley. I don't have any interest in start-ups or leading a "disruptive" company myself. I just like to code and I'm good at it. I don't see myself ever not being a programmer. I'm just not interested in doing anything else. But again, it's a job. It's not fun. If you genuinely think that you would like being a programmer, put in the effort and teach yourself. Go to college for it if you're not sure where to start. Just don't do it if you think it's going to be some amazing enriching experience. It's not. It's a lot of hard work, and it's so completely boring. And if you're jealous of people in tech, you have a serious problem. You should just get over yourself and move on with your life. It's not cool and it's not worth your time.<br><br>Alright so to get to the whole "browsing this shithole" part. I've been browsing this shithole for 7 years now. I still visit it every day. I like it. I think it's funny. I think there's a lot of unappreciated art buried amongst all the shit. I like the boards for all their niches. I like the community. I like the memes. But I am not some lonely, socially inept loser. I go out and have fun. I like to go to clubs to dance. And I love art. After all, I got a degree in it. I'm just a normal person who spends some minimal amount of his free time on this website.<br><br>There's no point in this post, I just wanted to say hey and clear up some misconceptions about techbros and programming. Also to say that yes, normies do browse this website. Also, I'm not going to do an AMA because I'm lazy.<br><br>EDIT: wow, didn't expect this to blow up so fast. Thanks for the gold, Anons.