Oh, an agnostic.
There is something to be said about groups of people that hold similar ideas because their similar way of thinking lead them to similar conclusions. It's a very important exception to the OP's description, where the group came first, and may even be the most common kind.
(Of course, the question to answer is why do those people think in similar ways.)
> part of the group of software engineers by trade
I'd bet that one lead you into adopting some values.