There's a level above which you can be gainfully employed though. In my private projects I use cutting-edge frameworks, write tests (which actually test at tha

There's a level above which you can be gainfully employed though. In my private projects I use cutting-edge frameworks, write tests (which actually test at that), solve algorithmic problems and learn new languages. None of this takes place at work and still I get paid - mostly because what I'm doing for a living is akin to brick laying, since it was optimised for predictable outcomes(hilariously enough having tested code is not part of this optimisation - hiring a QA team once the budget for that is approved is, though).