Academia is a strange place. On the one hand it is a hotbed of innovations, on the other hand it is a frustratingly lethargic system. The movement of Research Software Engineers (RSEs) shows this really well as nearly all research relies on research software, yet we are still lacking adequate acknowledgment let alone career paths for RSEs. In this talk I want to discuss the status quo and future of software in research, the role of the R community, and also what it has to do with my personal path.