For some reason I recently remembered a long ago phone conversation I had once had with a friend, a few years after we had both left college. She had become a lawyer, and I had gone on to do research in computer graphics.
We were comparing our different career paths, and what they might mean. At some point she said “of course, one of us is doing something that is actually impacting the world.”
I remember thinking, upon hearing her say this, that she was being incredibly gracious by acknowledging that my work was so important. After all, unlike a trade (eg: being a lawyer) research can produce results that end up having a positive impact on the lives of millions of people.
It took me a while to realize that she had actually meant it the other way around.
Oops.