The point of writing software is to get paid. If the process leads to something actually useful, good on you. If not, you still got paid. It was just a drill, life continues.
I think a better future world is still possible and needs to be built by passionate people. I'm in software to try to do my small part in getting there.
I probably won't succeed but that's why it's a BHAG. I also don't ever want kids, a spouse, and am perfectly happy riding the bus or a bike so yeah, my annual income needs are usually met somewhere around February and lounging around gets old eventually.
Your system sometimes works better ... I really can't do anything unless I'm passionate about it. I can sit in a chair from 6am-11pm and will get nothing done for weeks if I don't believe in it. It's stupid and I need to get over it.
I kinda wish someone waving some cash in front of my face was enough to get me to do something. That'd be much easier because I could be the one waving it.
I think you need to be far more proactive in training your mind if you want to become a founder [edit: of a successful business], or move into more responsible roles, or even just to get satisfaction from shipping great software.
Why do you need to work up to being a founder? Any bozo can start something new especially given that the vast majority of start ups either never go anywhere or flame out somewhere in the first year or two. Even I've "become a founder" a couple of times.
I used to be pretty close with the founder of my company and his life doesn't look like any fun.
you could in theory define it as having a sole-proprietorship type lifestyle business.
it's poignant in this thread because many people have worked on "meaningless" projects within a company for years on end - and you don't have a choice.
I find this has a lower bound in terms of salary, and people find that lower bound is much higher than they like to admit.
It's not me either but I get it.
In that case; I do not get it. Moving is easy, at least in the EU. They could own their house (there are many houses for sale in villages and country across the EU for 50-100k with garden etc so even in a tight city wage you can immediately own and rapidly pay off a house) and suddenly save money. But then again, I am not attached to places and especially not cities (finally a lucky bet with covid) so maybe I just do not get it.
Highly skilled people live in big expensive cities because that's where the best jobs and most professional and social opportunities are.
Once you move to the countryside your jobs and networking opportunities plummet and you'll have to endure a soul crushing commute unless you work remotely or your house and your job are close to train stations on the same route, not to mention, at least in Austria, shit internet.
People want to live with or interact with like minded people and it's much easier to find what your looking for in a big city. The countryside is lonelier and more conservative.
Sure, you can have a lot of space and a garden, but not everyone is into that and most would prefer to have the amenities of a city: sports gyms, cinemas, cafes, bars, meetups, good doctors without having to drive everywhere or wait for a train.
And nah, never had this much work, my network is only growing (and I have not lived in a city for 20 years), I don't need to commute because remote work is great (for the past 25 years). I meet plenty of like minded people on the internet; for me that works. Not saying it's for anyone, but it works for me (and my family and friends by the way).
But yeah, everyone should do what they want and like; just saying there are alternatives if you don't want to live from paycheck to paycheck and live in a city.
My home insurance, my heating, my Internet, my electricity, all cost more than if I was urban. I own and maintain my own water supply and sewer system (septic). I have power lines coming up from the road, over a hedge of cedars that cost me $2000 to trim every few years or they'll impede the power lines. On my property, so mine to deal with.
I had to buy a little diesel tractor ($15,000), I had to buy a zero turn mower ($5000) because mowing 2.5acres (out of the 6 acres I have) would take forever otherwise. We need two cars because of where we are.
And property taxes are super high for me. They'd be cheaper if this was an active farm business making over $7000 CAD a year, but it's not. Because how could I do that while also working a full time job?
And yeah, the commute. Not fun. No gas costs really because I drive electric and plug in at work (and home), but still.
But I have chickens and an orchard and a woodworking shop, and make wine from my own vineyard, and have room in the garage for a Saab 900 SPG that I will restore...someday... and my kids have lots of yard to look out at while they sit inside instead and watch videos of people playing video games ...
We have chickens, many (fruit)trees, make beer, cider and wine. Outside gym. Pizza oven. It's great.
To be clear, I don't suggest this to those who are in the throes of software engineering passion and their work is part of who they are - sometimes may be too many times for them.
Solving problems and writing elegant code is good, whether it's running the next Amazon or streaming intrusive ads to a Smart Toothbrush or whatever. (I'd draw a line at weapons systems, gambling, automated extortion etc - but YMMV.)
Economic value rarely correlates to more 'human' measures of value - which is depressing but nevertheless useful to me as someone whose skills are societally useless but moderately lucrative. I suspect many of us here are in the same boat.
Much better to look around and find the product/project that is actually going to spawn revenue for the company and get on that team. When layoffs come, you've a much better chance of weathering the storm.*
* No guarantee that management won't do something stupid and lay off the golden egg under some stubborn belief the money sink will someday take off.