> For the over the decade I've been a software engineer I've always strived to work in products with a value proposition for the end user that I can understand

> For the over the decade I've been a software engineer I've always strived to work in products with a value proposition for the end user that I can understand. > I can't understand how anyone could work without this understanding and not get their soul crushed. Maybe I'm just sensitive or underpaid. Well, if someone's paying you, there is always a value proposition for the end user :) More to what I think your point is, though, most people do not view themselves through the lens of their work. I don't see myself as a guy who writes ecommerce software; I see myself as a spouse, father, child, uncle, and someone always trying new things and expand my horizons. Ecommerce just pays the bills and enables that all to happen.