That is a bit of a difficult question to answer really. Yes, professionally I am a programmer, but I do have a masters in Chemical Engineering and two Bachelors one in Mathematics and the other in Physics. There was a point in time when I wanted to go the distance in academia and become a Cosmologist but through a series of rather strange incidents I ended up becoming a digital nomad. I still love to sit down and dive headfirst into theorems and I have coauthored a few Physics papers.
I guess you could say that Math and Physics were my first real passions and programming just kind of fit into the middle of all of that. Through being a programmer, I've been able to work for organizations like CERN and Fermilab.
Wow, then you are a Mathematician, a Physicist, an Engineer and a Programmer. I really feel that you are passionate about science in general.
You have worked in two of the most recognized institutes of Physics in the world, something worth admiring. I congratulate you!
As a young man I dreamed of dedicating myself to particle physics and working at CERN, but because of things in life I could not leave the country.