Very few people (it seems to me) have the joy of their VOCATION and their AVOCATION being the same thing. For example: The "programmers" I work with have college degrees in law, geology, civil engineering, Piano Performance (me), criminal justice admin., and a Computer Learning Center votech graduate. I'm sure this sounds to you like one hell of a interdisciplinary software development project -- Right? Well, all we're doing is very mundane financial analysis and reporting. Basic arithmetic required! Can everyone program? Yes, but I'd hate to have to modify any coworker's code except my Perl friend's. Out of 7 "programmers" we have: 2 Learning Perl (I'm one), 2 Pick Basic (AREV for DOS), 1 Java, 1 Excel jockey and 1 Excel jockey who also knows Fortran. BTW, our LAN administrator used to cut hair. WoooHoo!

japhy I bet more than a dozen Monks could relate similar stories. None of my other coworkers are interested in Perl. The Java guy especially (we're not using Java right now for development and he still won't learn Perl). Our customer is moving more towards Perl cause us two are producing more work products faster than the others because we're using the MySQL and Perl combo doing Web-based financials for management.

One of these fellows comments frequently how much he'd love to learn Perl (we give him every opportunity to participate and invite him to come to monthly meetings since we started Perling 9 months ago) but even though we have my old 2nd Camel in our work library, he has never had ENOUGH interest to read the first chapter!

"The sadest words of tongue or pen; are the words: 'It might have been!'." Unknown Author

japhy don't feel "guilty" for enjoying life and programming in Perl! They are guilty pleasures I share with you! I think you're a smart guy and you know by now, people will be people. If 10,000 of us were ALL like you, no publisher would pay any of us to write different books on REGEXes. Maybe you should count your blessings yeah?

Update: Two points: 1) Programming is "just a job" to some people with the language being only a tool. 2) Very few people allow themselves to be truly passionate about anything (other than sports or religion), even fewer are passionate about programming, still fewer are passionate about Perl. Thank God and vroom (and now YAS) for The Monastery! Blest be the Monks!

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