I used to work at NASA in Virginia. It was nothing glamorous; I was just tasked with making code compile for obscure projects, and I wasn't very good at it. Now I spend most of my time drawing pictures and looking at funny things on the Internet, which in retrospect is largely what I did at my old job, too.

In this quote, Randall Munroe reflects humorously on the contrast between his past job at NASA and his current work as a creator of webcomics and drawings. He acknowledges that while he was once tasked with making code compile for obscure projects at NASA, his skills in that area were not particularly strong. Despite the technical nature of his previous job, he finds that his current activities—drawing pictures and looking at funny things on the Internet—aren't too different from what he did at NASA, suggesting that his work has always been a mix of technical problem-solving and creative exploration.

The humor in this quote lies in Munroe's self-deprecation and his ability to find comedy in his own career progression. He doesn’t glamorize his past work, instead choosing to highlight the mundane and often overlooked aspects of it. By comparing his work at NASA to his current job, he reveals that much of his day-to-day life, whether in a high-tech setting or a more creative one, revolves around engaging with curiosity and humor, even if it doesn't always feel "productive" in a traditional sense.

Munroe's background in engineering and working at NASA is essential to understanding this quote. He’s known for his geeky humor and sharp commentary on science and technology, which is reflected in his popular webcomic, xkcd. His transition from working on technical projects to creating humorous, thought-provoking cartoons about science and technology shows how he has remained committed to a career that merges his technical expertise with his passion for creativity and humor.

Ultimately, the quote showcases Munroe's personal philosophy that work doesn't always have to be serious or glamorous to be meaningful. It also highlights his ability to see humor in the everyday aspects of life, whether in the world of NASA or on the Internet. Munroe’s journey from technical work to creative expression underscores the importance of finding enjoyment and purpose in whatever you do, no matter how seemingly unrelated or trivial it may seem.