Consider academia. I have a very similar opinion to you about interesting work (less so about meaningful). I was working at Google doing web development even th

Consider academia. I have a very similar opinion to you about interesting work (less so about meaningful). I was working at Google doing web development even though I have a security specialty, everyday was like pulling teeth. It is just not worth it and I'm not sure it is sustainable for me. Academia has always been appealing because you dictate research direction. I ended up going from part time, to 80% time, to full time over a year and a half for a small company. My work here is mostly interesting and I'm happier than I've been anywhere else.