Once upon a time, I worked in the Casualty/Property Insurance industry. I worked my way up to be a national department manager in casualty reinsurance for a major reinsurance company. I was making a decent (but not huge - insurance, remember) salary. Playing with my Apple computer was a hobby. Eventually, I realized that insurance was not what I wanted to do.

I got out, went to school for a while, and landed a job as a lowly programmer making a little less than 2/3 my previous salary, but boy was I happy. I felt like software development was what I simply had to do.

I'm guessing that that's why.

Alan

>Hi Sergey,
>
>Why are there so many programmers then? I cannot see any reason to do it there other than as a hobby.
>
>Tracy
>
>>>SNIP
>>>>The main problem in developing countries, of course, is the price. After all, US$ 500 (for example) is more than a month of salary for most people in the World.
>>>
>>>And to think programmers are generally paid better than the average salary...
>>
>>Programmers in Russia (especially FoxPro programmers) have a very low salary (like cleaners or something like that), so I have to work like a manager and something sell for life. And if I have time after making money - I can develope programs. In Russia we have monopoly on the application programs market - that is ready program and it needs only not complicated tune. We have very complicated business rules, that impossible develop program for business - that rules are changing very much from year to year. Many companies prefer this monopoly and ready product. That is our reality - nobody wants to pay for porograms, because big bosses cannot see or touch them :)