Gate-keeping yes, self-congratulatory no. This subject is personally sensitive to me because it has immediate real world consequences that impact my livelihood and choice of employment.

I am away from home on a military deployment at this time and I am constantly thinking about what I should do when I return to the real world. I am actively investigating career alternatives by dumping software development, because I honestly believe my career is limited by the general unwillingness of my development peers to address actual engineering concerns out of convenience and insecurity.