>> A well-balanced life can only be achieved with a satisfactory job that is meaningful.
I partially agree but add the bigger question is *what is meaningful*? No job is inherently meaningful. A BS job might be fine for a time if it fulfills a bigger goal. A great job could be pointless if you have no direction in your life.
>> You don't want to tell your grandchildren that what you did in this world is make people click more ads, regardless of how juicy the tech was at that time.
I see what your getting at, but I still think it's a framing problem. Seeing "what you did in the world" as the outcome of your job is exactly what I mean by placing too much existential weight on your job. I'm fine telling my grandkids I slung ads if it satisfied my goal of intellectual development and funded the lifestyle I wanted for myself and my family