I did, sort of. Back when I was at university you could take Computer Science as an supplementary course to whatever else you were doing, be it maths, engineering, astrophysics, linguistics, etc. I did a year of it and loved it so much that I neglected the rest, got a sort of a degree and ended up in an insurance office, but as soon as a job opening in computing came up I jumped at it. Done everything from commercial stuff to deep down dirty operating system finagling and rarely felt that the money going into the bank every month was somehow connected to the fun I was having. That changed a bit when I went independent and did contract work, but I had some fascinating contracts - state-machine-driven code generator for cardiac implants, radiation-monitoring systems, 3D sewerage modelling & flow mapping, imaging & lots less technical but still fun. The only time I didn't enjoy it was when someone in the early days threw a commercial spec at me and the progress chaser kept badgering. That, and when they got me to manage other people: pain in the ass.
