[carterklein13]

I think the one that surprises people the most is that they have no idea how most huge systems are frighteningly, perpetually in peril of going down or becoming breached.

People like to joke about software engineers all being smart 20-somethings building extremely high-impact stuff. When you take a step back and think about that, that means that Bob Smith who was just doing a keg stand in a basement 18 months ago is now adding a security feature to a fintech service that processes hundreds of millions of dollars per month. People don't realize how much of their well-being hinges upon clueless idiots (like me).

And, nobody - not one person - knows or agrees on the "right" way to write software.