(scientist w&#x2F; 15+ years experience in software dev in bioinformatics, with nice results, see <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;pubmed&#x2F;?term=grosdidier+aur%C3%A9lien" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;pubmed&#x2F;?term=grosdidier+aur%C3%A...</a> )<p>I think a decent software development capability is one among the many skills a scientist must be able to be comfortable with in order to provide society with valuable research results.<p>Professional developers are given a task, or a goal, and are focused on the right way to do it. Some do wonders, but they aren&#x27;t paid to go beyond the goal they are assigned.<p>When you&#x27;re a scientist, the software is not a goal, but only a tool that will be subjected to further iterative refinement.<p>No one else but you knows about the proper efficiency &#x2F; flexibility &#x2F; level of abstraction you need. There&#x27;s a strong need for scientists combining both scientific and development skills.<p>Btw, I&#x27;m looking for a new position ^^