You get to be the person who creates the PDP-11, the Unix, the B (or C) language: fundamental contributions that the majority take for granted, to build our dreams on.

It's ground-level with lots of unknowns. There's not going to be a lot of answers. It's the frontier. There's not a single book or body of knowledge that promises expertise or certification in the applied sense.

Exotic materials, probabilistic effects, cutting-edge research. Isn't that exciting? You get to refine your weaknesses, accept published contributions, and make the same.