I could write a big, long, treatise, but I think others have done better than I.
The main thing was, for me, that very, very few of us actually had any CS/SWE training. Almost everyone I worked with, had schooling/training in other disciplines, and migrated over to SE (I was an Electronic Technician, then an EE, and then an SWE).
It was pretty cool. We didn't have the extreme conformity that I see so much, these days. Lunchtime conversations were always interesting. We also approached problem-solving and architecture from various angles.
The main thing was, for me, that very, very few of us actually had any CS/SWE training. Almost everyone I worked with, had schooling/training in other disciplines, and migrated over to SE (I was an Electronic Technician, then an EE, and then an SWE).
It was pretty cool. We didn't have the extreme conformity that I see so much, these days. Lunchtime conversations were always interesting. We also approached problem-solving and architecture from various angles.