Were you paid? If so, then as that one guy put it, you and the company are even. Yes, that's the reality of the software life, and yes you're either on your way

Were you paid? If so, then as that one guy put it, you and the company are even. Yes, that's the reality of the software life, and yes you're either on your way or already burnt out. The other reality, is the majority of software work doesn't end up mattering in the long run, or even in the short run, and you need to come to terms with the reality that you're exchanging your time for a salary and maybe some equity, but don't get your hopes up, it's just a job like others. Nobody is really changing the world, and it's a lie that we bought 12 years ago when we got into it. You can work on something that improves someone's workflow marginally though, and that can be satisfying. It's way way more satisfying to just get the work done and then have great interactions out in the real world with people you meet. I recently helped a Taiwanese immigrant get their passport, and I started my day by playing an mmo with some friends, now I'm back to coding whatever. The other other reality, is that a lot of that time even if the product or website or company is worthwhile and sells stuff, it's often not the "features" or the fancy frontend that people care about. That's why Rockauto for example is so awesome, and look where you're posting right now. It's probably worthwhile to go independent, but the same things apply, except you'd now have a real stake.