Whenever people learn that I can draw, make computer games, design electronics, and build tiny robots, they always insist that this should be my day job, because it's such a waste for me to be a software engineer.
I usually just tell them that those jobs don't pay well in comparison, and that shuts them up, with a vague complaint about capitalism.
But I'm actually offended that they consider those things more valuable somehow than my problem solving and programming experience and skills.
I mean (almost) anybody can learn to draw. It's not rocket science. All you have to do is keep drawing, for hundreds, thousands of hours. If you have at least one working eye and hand, it's just a question of practice. Same with pretty much any "artistic" skill.
Engineering is harder, because you can't just practice it on your own at home. You have to work on real projects with real people and witness how it all works together in reality. Books can help, and practice too, but it's not all.
I don't want to diminish artistic projects here. Just knowing how to draw or how to code a game or whatever is not enough to actually finish a project. Especially when other people are involved.
This is something people don't appreciate: being an artist means you have to not only do the artsy skill, but also a fair bit of problem solving, logistics, management, and most importantly, leading. This is the actual hard part of doing anything, but it's not something we are taught to value.
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