Why do we engage in the
masochism that is a
technical field?
I suppose it's because we understand the value of right answers. Sure, it is nice in my European History class to be able to bullshit my way through the revolutions of 1848, and come up with a crack-brained theory or two on societal influences of the Industrial Revolution, or turn in a Russian History paper I proclaimed to friends to be "my worst writing ever" and get the second-highest grade in the class. But there are situations in this world where something either works or it doesn't. Right or wrong. No bullshit allowed.
As a computer science major, I get a rush out of making a program perform properly. Maybe it's a value on having everything in its proper place (but why's my room dirty, then?). Our creative urges are expressed within an objective situation by using different means to solve a problem -- either that, or when we get done with our coding, we head over to the student center and play piano for a bit to blow off the stress.