> Compare a complex homegrown data store to a relational database like postgresSQL. Both get the job done, but one has significantly more conceptual clarity and reliability.
That's a good example of what I said. Most software engineers don't develop new database management systems. They just use one. And if they merely use it, they don't need or benefit from nontrivial math. The math is abstracted away behind the intuitive SQL syntax.
So did postgres appear out of thin air? What new SW technologies need to be developed?
If you're not interested in acquiring the kind of competency to develop new software, and are just interested in combining existing software, then you don't need a college degree.
That's a good example of what I said. Most software engineers don't develop new database management systems. They just use one. And if they merely use it, they don't need or benefit from nontrivial math. The math is abstracted away behind the intuitive SQL syntax.