Why are so many computer engineers also photographers?

Contrary to popular myth, which would paint us all as artless nerds following mechanical guidelines to accomplish our work, my experience has taught me that good computer engineers are intensely creative. At first glance this makes sense because we are routinely asked to develop novel solutions to problems but I think it actually goes even deeper. The best engineers I know are quite driven not just by problems but by the actual act of creation -- of building something from nothing. It isn't just cameras. I think you'll find engineers have a higher population of musicians and chefs relative to the population at large as well, though I'm not sure about painting or sculpting.

There are other aspects of the engineer personality which I think favor photography, music, and cooking as well:
- appreciation for techniques that can be rigorously understood and reliably applied
 - ability to apply algorithms in novel spaces to create novel results
- affinity for math and science and appreciation of its application (before you rule out cooking here recall the popularity of molecular gastronomy)
- lack of patience

When I'm not shooting photos or coding, I write or work with wood or edit videos. I'm always trying to create something new and I know I'm not the only one of my peers who feels this compulsion.

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Andrew 'Boz' Bosworth on Quora:

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