And that is probably the biggest issue with my current job. It has absolutely no value to me, outside of money. It's like being in college and writing essays just to get it done. Which is fine I guess, but I keep dreaming of a future where I could look forward to the work week and doing interesting stuff and not just yearn for the weekend. And it's so hard faking interest in things I'm not interested in. Really exhausting.
So then many people ask me, why don't you just switch jobs? And I've tried, but many of the jobs I come across in tech do not excite me. I'm not interested in building real estate apps, or finance tools, or marketing tools, etc. In fact, the only time I truly like even doing dev work if it's for my own personal projects or building stuff that directly impacts humanity (very cliche, I know). Like stuff that SpaceX is doing with low-orbit satellites I found really fascinating. I've also tried non-profits but many of them can only afford to bring a dev on as a volunteer.
So then what am I interested in doing then? I don't know. Maybe starting over, and going into psychiatry or being a radio host, or even politician. Unfortunately, I also don't want any more debt. So there's that issue.
Has anyone else experienced this and have any advice? I know this is absolutely a position of privilege as there are people in the world who don't have such choices. So I hate complaining but could use some advice.
That's maybe not the most important thing you need to consider.
What I did was a bit different. I was living LA and realized it didn't matter what I did there, it sucked. So I started focusing on where I'd like to live.
Everyone has their own criteria for that, but we don't often give it much real thought. There's family and friends and work that all stand in the way of even pondering where we'd really like to live.
I spent a few years looking into places I thought I'd like to live, found my spot, moved there, and have been here for 25 years now. I've never felt compelled to live anywhere else since and it hasn't mattered what kind of work I've done.
Now here's the real kicker... My parents, grandmother, two brothers and a sister, all moved here after coming to visit.
So, be careful about passion. Passion is all good if you are in an environment that appreciates your work. Otherwise, it will lead to a different kind of hell.
Does this have to be on a grand scale like the example, or would making something of great value for a specific/niche audience, and thus revenue generating be of interest?
Maybe work at a small startup company where you have influence not only on building but also shaping the product to solve identified problems.