I think it's totally relevant, I have worked with guys that have fancy PHD's from MIT that always over complicated the crap out of simple things. It's like when you buy something expensive or make an investment, you feel the need to defend and justify it to others.
It's the same thing here, you get a fancy degree and everything you do has to be complex to justify getting that degree otherwise what separates you from a guy with an average degree. It's probably more an ego thing, but I see this all the time.
I don't understand why you presume it's a need to defend and justify it to others. Getting a PhD from MIT isn't exactly a walk in the park, I imagine the person got it BECAUSE of a pleasure to tackle complicated problems in the first place.
If I really enjoy dealing with complexity and you give me something really simple to do, well I'm gonna go ahead and have some fun with it. It's not a matter of justifying, it's just that simple stuff is boring to somebody who enjoys complexity.
To clarify, I'm not saying over-engineering is a good thing. I'm saying there's a mismatch between the complexity of the problem and the desires/personality of the person having to solve it. Give the simple problem to people who valor elegance, minimalism, simplicity, and keep the MIT PhD for rocket surgery and stuff.
This is what happens when you hire someone that's overqualified for a job, I guess. :) People in that situation need to find work that will satisfy their thirst for complexity. They are making trouble for themselves and others, otherwise.
"it's just that simple stuff is boring to somebody who enjoys complexity."
This doesn't work very well with business. Sometimes, you just need the simple solution.
It's also the reason why many startups never get off the ground. I'm guilty of it myself, but I have learned over the years to not over-engineer something until it's really needed.
I agree, but when that's the case then it's right to call it.
Actually, it's one of my greatest pet peeves. How so many things are so massively over-engineered. I could go on forever about that and there is not a single day I don't spend a while realising this about something.
It's the same thing here, you get a fancy degree and everything you do has to be complex to justify getting that degree otherwise what separates you from a guy with an average degree. It's probably more an ego thing, but I see this all the time.