DeusVult, I said it was a necessary evil. In nearly every corner of life, money is changing hands. But the most satisfying experiences I have ever had involved very little money, if any. I don't treat money in a juvenile sense. I know that every month, I have a lot of responsibility to handle in the form of bill payments. The question is simply, are you doing it for the money?

Your statements regarding the above "real distractions" are nothing more than inherited distractions. People who treat money irresponsibly are faced with them. So, in a sense, I'm anti-money, assuming that money allows people the ability to exhibit irresponsibility. It would appear that you also fall into this belief, since you feel that money is a concept to be treated with responsibility.

I chose the analogy to artist and teacher very carefully. Both of these archetypes are important, far more important, in a civilized society than a software developer. But they made their decision knowing that there are no benefits beyond personal joy. Follow the excellent link from TheoPetersen's recent discussion (the author of the paper is a teacher).

"If you write a great novel, no publisher is going to ask what you majored in, but no one is going to hire a programmer with an English major. Study something that will let you get a job, and worry about that other stuff later."

Since the 6th grade, I had wanted to become a chemical engineer. I even began college with a major in engineering. But something happened along the way. I didn't connect with the subject. I loved chemistry, but I wasn't destined to be a chemist, or a ChemE. Of course, I had blindly followed my passion to be a ChemE, that I missed key points that should have been as bright as the Vegas Strip. When I came home, instead of working on chemistry, the beige box would beckon for me to come and try things out. It'll be fun, come on.

Sound familiar? Nevertheless, even though a CS major has a better chance at that cool job, an English major with the ability to develop software (unrefined, mind you) has a high potential to grab a similar job, especially due to a more creative thought process. I know some people in that boat, so I know that it's not unheard of.

In my reply to mothra, I simply wanted to state that when it comes down to "lovers" of the process, be that development, art, teaching, or whatever, money as a factor will become a distraction. In your final paragraph, you say it yourself: And I wouldn't say I'm in it for the money (I took my current job over one that offered about 8k more, because I liked the stuff they were doing better). In other words, you were not distracted.

ALL HAIL BRAK!!!