[martingoodson]

Not at all. It's something I've seen in practice over many years. Neither skill set is 'better' than the other, just different.

There is a need for people who are able to build using available tools, but who don't have an interest in the theory or foundations of the field. It's a valuable mindset and nothing in my original comment suggested otherwise.

It's also pretty clear that many comments on this post divide into the two mindsets I've described.

[johnthescott]

as a friend from at&t dallas told me, tis cheaper to turn a mathematician into a programmer than a programmer into a mathematician.