I'm also a late-career dev like the OP and agree with everything said. I'm going to add that if you want meaningful work, work on a side project. Even if it do

I'm also a late-career dev like the OP and agree with everything said. I'm going to add that if you want meaningful work, work on a side project. Even if it doesn't pan out, it's a great learning experience and could open doors and ignite conversations with people leading to much better and fascinating opportunities.