"Yeah. Engineering's a good field to be interested in, though, since almost any place is going to need engineers, so no matter where I end up I'll probably find some work I enjoy. Then again, I'd have said the same for people needing computer skills, but I guess that isn't the case here."

Really, he felt bad for any hackers that might find themselves in a place like this without internet. It was jarring for him, but it had to be far worse for someone whose training and interests lied solely in what they could no longer have. He paused, thinking about what he'd said, though, and imagined if he went back. It wouldn't be bad if it happened right then, but he thought that after a while, it might outright be bad for him if he were to return home, once years had passed. After all, while people may always want engineers, they wouldn't want one who got his degree, then managed to get no references or any jobs since then, at least none he could point to.

"Although I've realized about the job thing...once you're here for like a year, even if you did find a way out, you couldn't really leave, could you? I mean, now there'd be a huge hole in your experience, and while you really were getting more experience and learning more, it wouldn't be anything you could tell anyone about."