For me, I imagine part of the excitement is applying the art of computer science every day at your job back then. When things are taken care of for you, they become boring. Not because those things are inherently boring, but they're boring because you're no longer thinking about them. You can't get excited about things you aren't thinking about. Many jobs transitioned from surgeons with scalpels to supergluing prefab parts together. Which one sounds more exciting to you? I'd rather be a surgeon.