Computing as a whole has changed. We are comparing a time (then) when physicians and mathematicians were the ones laying the ground work for what we have today to a time when people start programming to make video games and cool websites (today).

Also, getting experience back then was fairly difficult. Just getting your hands on a computer to get the experience would have been a challenge. Compare that to today where there are kids, literally kids, programming at home right now. For example, I started programming when I was 17.